In Inceptum Finis Est
by Rochelle Templer
Summary: Set at the end of Season 6B. At the edge of the universe, a disaster is brewing on a planet most have forgotten. Still in the service of the Celestial Intervention Agency, the Doctor is called in for what he assumes is a routine mission. However, he soon discovers that the stakes are much higher than he previously thought...for himself and for fabric of Time.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: New story. This one will be a bit different from my other stories, but I hope my readers will still enjoy it. This fic was inspired by a drawing and a fic challenge by **aragonite** on her Tumblr page and I'd like to thank her again for letting me take up this challenge. As mentioned in the summery, time-line wise, it takes place at the very end of Season 6B.

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who reads/follows/favorites/reviews this. It is always appreciated. :)

Additional note: As for the title, it's Latin and roughly translates to "the beginning foreshadows the end..."

Chapter One

_-My child, by now you have heard many tales of how Time Lords, those who are the elite of our world, came into existence. You have learned the history of how Lord Rassilon built their society and how Omega bequeathed them the power to harness Time itself in your lessons at the academy. You have heard the tales of how the Time Lords used this power to travel, to study and observe and to even defend our world and other worlds when necessary. Yes, by now you know how Gallifrey stands, proud and unmoving, in a chaotic universe and you know how those within the society of Time Lords live. _

_But have you ever considered how exactly a Time Lord dies?_

_-__Excerpt from an old Gallifreyan storybook__._

* * *

Colus. It was a planet on the fringes of the universe. Of average size and mostly forested, most people paid little attention to Colus. Explorers and merchant ships reported that there was a native humanoid population, but theirs was a simple society with little interest in intergalactic trade or even in advancing their technology beyond gaining a few medical and agricultural advantages.

Eventually, most races in the outermost galaxies came to ignore Colus and would avoid it if possible. No one could say exactly why they were wary of visiting. The people were pleasant and welcoming and the environment seemed to have few natural dangers.

The closest anyone ever came to an answer was when a historian questioned an old space pirate captain who had spent a week stranded on Colus when a malfunction in his ship's engines forced him to land and make repairs. When asked about Colus he said the following:

"_We left that wretched place as soon as we could. Mind you, there's no one there who's up for fighting, but there's something…wrong there. That place gets under your skin and it's like there's always something creeping in the corners of your mind, just out of reach. There's something lurking there, hungry and feral. It's looking for something…and me and my men were lucky that it wasn't us."_

Almost a century later, a time which was marked by additional sporadic visits to Colus by a variety of alien races, no one was able to come up with a more fitting description for the atmosphere the planet exuded.

* * *

In a small cottage within the sole surviving village on Colus, an old man opened his eyes. He raised his head and turned his face toward the window in his bedroom. The sun had reached its summit and the clouds that had threatened rain earlier had vanished. Even though he was still tired, he shifted aching limbs out from under the covers, shoving the blankets aside. His hand found his walking stick, and he hoisted himself to his feet.

He held a withered hand to his face as he walked outside. He hadn't expected the sun to be so bright. The man watched the village around him stir to life, and he slowly sat down onto his porch. The dry wood creaked from the movement.

"Still no change?"

The old man glanced over to see another man, middle-aged, but with far fewer wrinkles and signs of age than him, walking toward him. Concern was etched into every line of his face.

"Not yet," the old man replied, shaking his head sadly. "You said it would happen today."

"Today, tomorrow…it's all the same around here," the other man said. "We've already explained that to you. That is how it is here on Colus. It's been our way of life for decades now."

The man swiped at his brow. Beads of sweat had already started to form in response to the rising heat. The old man lifted a hand in front of his face and stared at the veins that marked his skin.

"How long will it last?" the old man asked. "Will I…will I die before it…?"

"No, no, it won't be that way," the other man said. A couple of quick strides later, he was standing in front of the old man, his hand on the bony shoulder. "It'll be better eventually. It's just a matter of time."

"Time? Time?" the old man wheezed. "You said that time doesn't mean anything anymore."

"I never said that," the man said. "Look, just because time can't be measured by normal means anymore does not mean that it doesn't exist. Time is still here. It still affects all of us. You just have to learn to accept the changes that can happen as a result."

The man crouched down and moved his hands to caress the older man's upper arms.

"But no matter what happens, know that we'll be here to take care of you," the other man assured him. "So don't be scared, ok?"

"All right," the old man said, bobbing his head. "I'll try."

"Good," the man said, patting the older man's arms. "Now, I'm going to be busy in the fields today. The crops have sprung up overnight and we need to take advantage of it while we can. So you stay here and when you feel strong enough, try to get some of your chores done."

The old man gripped his walking stick with both hands, fingers trembling. He managed to nod again as the other man stood back up.

"I'll be back later," the man said.

The old man looked up at him, struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"All right, Dad," he croaked.

* * *

About twenty miles away, a TARDIS materialized on the edge of the vast jungle. A few moments later, a Time Lord stepped out and sniffed at the air. His name was Aronoldar, and currently, he was completing a term with the CIA as penance for a failed series of brash political maneuvers in one of the lower levels of the Gallifreyan government. It was a disreputable assignment, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that it would probably only last one or two of his lives. By then, the people who had engineered his downfall would probably either die or get themselves transferred to somewhere else due to the mechanisms from those who had even more power and status.

He sniffed the air again, but could find no trace of any industry or high technology. A frown appeared on his face, but that was not unusual for him.

'_Backward planet,' _he thought to himself. '_Why do they always send me to these kinds of places? And on the most trivial of errands, no less.'_

Aronoldar and looked down at his attire. His normal Time Lord robes would be impractical if he was forced to traipse through the jungle, but he hoped that it wouldn't come to that. He had tried to direct his TARDIS to land near the center of the temporal storms, but now he was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with the navigational systems.

The Time Lord sighed and pulled out a small device from one of his pockets. He recalled the briefing his supervisors had given him about this mission.

'_An anomalous cluster of time eddies. That's what they called it,' _he thought to himself. _'A slight twisting in the fabric of space-time near Colus. Probably just some local phenomenon, they said. Nothing to worry about, they said. And yet they'll still send me here to set up another monitoring beacon and take readings, even though they have a perfectly good monitoring system in their offices.'_

Aronoldar scowled even more. He was convinced that he was being given a near continuous stream of busywork as a way to punish him for exposing the ineptitude of the partner they assigned him with during his last assignment. He had been a new recruit from one of the most prominent houses within the Arcalian chapter. Unfortunately, he was also thoroughly dull and lazy. After their mission was over, Aronoldar had made sure to point out all of this out to his superiors in a loud and public way.

It was immediately after that that these tedious, menial assignments began to come his way. His supervisors tried to tell him that all CIA agents go through cycles of less glamorous assignments, but Aronoldar was sure that he knew better.

Still, it was better than being forced to spend his days in an oubliette like several of his co-workers had to when they weren't working on a mission. At least he still had a measure of freedom.

Aronoldar watched the screen on his device intently, occasionally tapping the screen. The readings continued to fluctuate radically. He knew that if he did not find a suitable site to install the beacon outside the shifting lines of temporal distortion, any data it collected would be rendered useless and his mission would be considered a failure.

'_What's wrong with this thing?' _he fumed, smacking the device even harder. '_Every time I triangulate a stable pattern of temporal flux, it just fades and reconfigures itself into another pattern. It's almost as if there was something feeding off the energy being produced by the distortions.'_

'_But that's not possible. There are only a couple of races that organically feed on time energy and none of them venture this far out. And the technology needed to harness such power is far beyond the understanding of the inhabitants of this planet. So why can't I get any fixed readings?'_

Aronoldar clenched his fingers around the device in his hand. He couldn't fathom why his supervisor would send him into the field with faulty equipment given how much the people who oversaw the CIA frowned upon failure, no matter how trivial the assignment. Then again, he wasn't naïve enough to think that agents were immune from being used as pawns in some elaborate play for power. Making him look incompetent could be part of some ploy against the people he had aligned himself with in the past.

The Time Lord grimaced and walked toward the jungle. If it was his co-conspirators they were after, so be it. He had no loyalty to them. That did not mean, however, that he would accept being dragged down with them. He would continue to build an unblemished record and gather his own store of favors owed to him.

He certainly would not let a routine survey of a localized time anomaly be the mission that tarnished his reputation.

Aronoldar stomped through the dense vegetation while occasionally bringing up a sweeping arm to brush aside branches that were thick with leaves. A shiver of apprehension worked its way through his body, but he ignored it. The foliage rustled from movement in the underbrush, leaves crackling and twigs snapping. However, Aronoldar remained willfully oblivious to everything but the readout screen on the device in his hand. He wasn't about to let the local animal life distract him from his task.

He did not notice the glint of silver shining from several snake-like appendages that were slithering along the ground. At least not until it was too late.

There was a sharp snap, and Aronoldar felt something wrap itself around his ankle. He looked down to see a long, thin tentacle that was studded with globular protrusions. He reached down to yank it off, but the thing's gripped tightened. Suddenly, another tentacle leapt from the ground and coiled around his wrist.

Aronoldar cried out and yanked at the appendages to no avail. Soon, more crawled up and grabbed hold of his limbs, pulling him down to the ground. The Time Lord writhed desperately, his limbs flaying as he tried to free himself. Another tentacle wrapped itself around his neck, slowly squeezing and cutting off his air supply. Before long, the feelers had covered the Time Lord's prone body. Aronoldar tried to call for help, but could only choke out a string of unintelligible words.

Soon, the tentacles grew still, and for a brief moment, Aronoldar thought that he might be able to wriggle away. However, that hope was crushed a moment later when the tentacles started to glow. The Time Lord felt a prickly heat overtake him. That was soon followed by the feeling of being ripped apart at the cellular level.

'_What…what's happening to me? No…no, Rassilon make it stop…Make it….'_

Aronoldar screamed, the sound coming out as a strangled cry. The tentacles glowed even brighter, golden particles of energy flowing from the Time Lord's body into the bulbs that lined the appendages. It wasn't long before he stopped trying to get away and instead begged for death to release him from this agony.

There was a flash of light, and at last, the Time Lord's body was still. A few minutes later, the tentacles began to drag what was left away and disappeared into the heart of the jungle.

* * *

Back on Gallifrey, Goth frowned at the information on his screen.

Officially, he was no longer the head of the CIA, but that meant little to him or to many within the organization. Goth was not the type to readily give up any source of power, not while it still had uses for him. Thus, even though he had recently been made Chancellor, he continued to monitor the CIA's activities and acted as a sort of advisor whenever the current head, Tevas, a rather ineffectual Time Lord, ran to him to help smooth over anything that went wrong. It was a nuisance to coddle Tevas, but Goth made sure to keep his annoyance mostly under the surface. After all, Tevas had all the potential to be a very productive pawn indeed in his quest for greater control.

Right now, Goth was reading the latest report over the situation near Colus. All communication with the agent who had been sent to investigate had been lost hours ago, and now his TARDIS had returned automatically without its pilot. It wasn't entirely unexpected, at least not to Goth. He was certain now that he had all the evidence he needed to make the argument that the Colus situation would require special attention.

And that meant finally putting into play an endgame he had been wanting to get to for a long time.

"Lord Goth," a voice over his intercom said. "Lord Tevas wishes to see you. He says it's urgent."

"It's Chancellor Goth," Goth snapped back. "And that is the last warning you will get. Now, send Tevas in."

"Yes Chancellor," the voice said. A few seconds later, the door to Goth's main quarters opened and a very nervous Tevas rushed inside.

"Chancellor Goth, have you heard? Aronoldar's TARDIS…."

"Yes, I know," Goth said wearily. "I did warn you, my dear Tevas, that the situation was far graver than your committee seemed to think it was."

"But first Milivousarus, then Regelun, and now Aronoldar," Tevas said, his hands fidgeting. "How am I going to explain all these losses to the High Council?"

"I wouldn't worry so much about that," Goth assured him. "You did well to follow my advice so far about which agents to send on this problematic assignment. There will be official inquiries, of course. Such things are standard procedure in these circumstances. However, I think you'll find that the High Council is not likely to miss bunglers and troublemakers such as they were. You need not worry about your position."

"Thank Rassilon for that at least," Tevas responded. "Still, we need to do something about this situation near Colus. It was one thing when this anomaly remained stable and very localized. But now, it seems to be growing in size and could become a destructive force before too long."

"I am aware of that," Goth said, settling back in his chair. "That is why I've been formulating a plan for some time now, just for such a contingency."

Goth stood up and moved to stand in front of the window. From here, he could look down in several of the main byways in the city and observe what others were doing without them seeing him.

"I think it's time you had the Doctor take over this assignment," Goth added.

"The Doctor?!" Tevas said. "Begging your pardon, Chancellor, but is he really the best agent for this mission? He was past his prime at least a century ago."

"Don't let his exterior appearance fool you," Goth said. "He is still far more spry and cunning than you give him credit for."

"Yes, but are you sure he's up to this task?" Tevas asked. "We've already lost three agents. The Doctor might well end up being the fourth."

"So?" Goth replied, turning back toward him. "What of it? The Doctor is a convicted criminal in the lowest possible standing within his chapter and Time Lord society as a whole. If anything were to happen to him, no one would miss him. Besides, the Doctor does have an impressive solve rate, so there is a good chance that he might be able to clear this up without too much more hassle."

"I see your points, but I'm still not sure about this," Tevas said, pacing. "I mean, it wouldn't be right to put him on this mission without any kind of support, would it? Maybe we should give him a partner."

"The Doctor does not work well with other agents," Goth said dismissively. "You should know that by now. Nevertheless, I believe I have a solution that should satisfy you."

Goth went over to a console near the center of the room and punched a couple of buttons on the keypad. A few seconds later, a file was brought up on the screen and Goth motioned for Tevas to take a look at it. The Time Lord shrugged his shoulders and joined Goth in front of the screen. He scanned the information in front of him for almost a minute before turning to look at the chancellor with open-mouthed shock.

"How were you able to get approval for this?" Tevas inquired. "The High Council…."

"The High Council could hardly object to saving a person's life, now can they?" Goth said with a smile. "If we hadn't intervened, the Tellurian would be dead by now. Besides, he chose to work for our organization years ago. It's no one's fault but his own if he failed to understand how far that commitment can reach. Plus, we were able to learn some valuable information from this procedure that could prove vital to our own survival in the future."

"But if the Doctor finds out about this…."

"Again, what of it?" Goth said. "You know as well as I do that he has a sentimental attachment to these creatures, and to this one in particular. Do not worry so much, Tevas. The Doctor might put up a fuss at first, but it will cool swiftly. Especially when you tell him that the Tellurian will be left in his custody even after the assignment is finished. Trust me, once you explain the problem to him and inform him of these terms, he will not be able to refuse you."

Goth moved closer to Tevas, his gaze steely and more than slightly menacing.

"Keep in mind, Tevas, that there's no reason why we have to tell the Doctor about the more…sensitive aspects of all this," he said, waving a hand at the screen. "As far as he is concerned, he need never know how we were able to arrange this for him."

"All right, I'll defer to your judgment, Chancellor," Tevas said. "I just hope you're right about this."

"You know I am," Goth said. "But if it will ease your mind, I am willing to attend the mission briefing with you."

"Yes, yes that will be most satisfactory," Tevas said. "Yes, I will let you know when I have a meeting time set up. Until then, Chancellor."

"Tevas," Goth responded with a nod. He watched Tevas scurry out of the room before resuming his vigil near the window.

'_Yes, this will work out perfectly. Either we will finally have a solution to that vexing problem near Colus or the Doctor will be out of the way permanently. Ideally, both outcomes will be the result.'_

Goth smiled again. As useful as the Doctor had been over the years, he had grown weary with the need to watch over his every move. Granted, the CIA might end up losing one of their most productive agents, but as far as Goth was concerned, that was a small price to pay.

'_Your time here is at an end, Doctor. Now, it's just a matter of how inglorious that end will be.'_


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Next chapter. This chapter will make some references to a one-shot that I published on my blog and haven't published on the site yet, but knowledge of that won't be crucial to read this. I will put up that missing one-shot at some point when I get around to putting up my on-going one-shots fic for the Second Doctor.

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Two

-_As you know, a Time Lord begins life within one body, one form. Over time, that body ages, begins to decay and eventually wears itself out. It is then that regeneration gives the Time Lord a new body, a new mind, and a new beginning._

_Now you might ask, why not just renew the body that a Time Lord was born with? Why change every fiber of one's being as a way to circumvent the finality of death? _

_Perhaps a better question to ask would be why cling to a body that has outlived its usefulness?_

_-__Excerpt from an old Gallifreyan storybook_

* * *

The Doctor stared at the table in front of him. More specifically, he studied the project he had been working on for several minutes. This was the twenty-third attempt today, and the Doctor's nerves were starting to fray from so many failures.

'_Just one more,' _he told himself. '_Just one more and I'll have it at last.'_

The Doctor picked the last playing card and gingerly guided it toward the top layer of the house he had constructed. He almost had it in place when his fingers nudged a sensitive point in the structure and the whole thing collapsed into a messy pile on the table. The Doctor snarled and swept the cards away. Resting his elbows on the table, his face fell forward into his palms. He stayed that way for a while before daring to lift his head. He placed his hands onto the tabletop and flinched when he saw a tremor make his digits move. It was barely perceptible, but it was definitely there.

'_It's happening more often now. I can't keep my hands completely steady for a full day anymore.'_

The Doctor looked up and caught a reflection of himself in the window of his oubliette. His once coal-black hair was now white, cool like snow. Lines and wrinkles had increased in number and had made deep furrows on his face. This incarnation had always been smaller in build compared to future versions, but it was hard to miss that he had actually shrunk a little. The slight stoop that was once used as a part of a disguise to mislead his enemies was now a real one.

He was old, too old. Older than his previous incarnation had lived to be. So far, he had been able to hide the full extent of his deterioration from the medical staff who performed regular checks on him. But this concealment did not change the truth he had come to realize over the last few months: he was ill and it was not the kind of illness that could be cured with medicines or any other forms of treatment. This was the sickness that came with living too hard and for too long in one body.

The Doctor sighed and crouched down to collect the cards from the carpet, his knees creaking as he did so. The Celestial Intervention Agency had encouraged the High Council to delay the sentence he was to serve far longer than he had anticipated. Every time he thought that the time would come for his forced regeneration and exile to Earth, the Time Lords managed to find more critical missions that needed attending to. Years turned to decades and then to centuries. Sometimes, the Doctor wondered if there ever would be an end to his servitude.

His hands trembled again as he snatched up the last of the cards and hurriedly stuffed them into his pocket. Thoughts like that were dangerous to him. They had started to form in his mind after the first couple of decades of missions. Normally, decades were no more than a brief passage of time to a Time Lord. But for the Doctor, a prisoner who was forced to serve the dubious motives of his jailers, the time crawled at a much slower pace than his temporal senses had told him. These thoughts only grew more intrusive as the years wore on, due in large part to the fact that he was alone and had no way of distracting himself from them.

The Doctor stood back up and went to the window so he could watch the sunset. At times, he questioned if he had been clever enough after all. Most of the missions the CIA had given him lately were positively prosaic compared to what he had put up with for most of his tenure. Also, there was the fact that he was given fewer opportunities to travel freely between assignments and was having to spend more time in his oubliette instead. He had thought that it was because his recently appointed supervisors trusted him even less than Sardon or even Goth did. However, it also occurred to him that there might be another reason. Like perhaps they knew that he wasn't in the best of health and this was their way of ensuring that they didn't lose their favorite agent before they were ready.

That notion brought feelings of despair and the thought that he would be trapped for an endless time in this punishment returned to the forefront of his mind. Still, despite the weariness he felt from his age and growing infirmity, he could now console himself with the knowledge that this sentence would have an end after all. It was only a matter of a couple years. Maybe even less.

The Doctor rested his head against the window pane, tears stinging at his eyes. Even if it meant liberating himself from the CIA, he could not bring himself to look forward to his own death. Granted, it was not death in the sense that he would no longer exist in any form. He had met his future selves and was reassured that they would carry on just fine. But it still meant that he would no longer exist in this form. This incarnation would fade away without ever again fulfilling the hope that his previous self had poured into this first regeneration: to see the universe and all within it with new eyes and learn everything again in way a child learns it. To run, to play, to explore, to let himself live and become who he had never been allowed to be while he lived on Gallifrey.

The tears finally slid down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. He had only had a few precious years to fully embrace this purpose before the Time Lords finally found him. After that, he was put through a slow, agonizing process to try to reform him back into a semi-respectable member of Time Lord society. It hadn't worked, of course, but the process continued on just the same albeit with a little less fervor over time. The Doctor defied them as best he could. He stubbornly held onto everything he had gained in this incarnation to honor his previous self's wishes and to secure it for his future selves to gain from. He even managed to sneak in some tweaks here and there throughout time in order to make sure that his upcoming incarnations would have fewer burdens than he had had to suffer through.

But he still could not shake the nagging idea that, ultimately, he was a failure. He was the one who had let himself get caught. He was the one who had chosen to stay trapped a sentence that should have ended well before now. And he feared that, in the end, so little of him would remain in the conscious minds of his replacements. It was as if he was the mistake that would eventually get swept away to a part of his brain where he would be forgotten.

The Doctor scrubbed at his eyes and took a deep breath. He refused to let himself wallow in his sorrow for the rest of what little time he had left. He thought about chanting as a way to get back to a calmer state. He had sat down and was about to begin when his hand drifted back into his pockets, his fingers brushing along a leather wallet that was cracked with age. The Doctor pulled it out and opened it, a slight smile appearing on his face.

Inside the wallet were pictures, images that had been transferred onto a paper-thin plastic that thankfully resisted wear. They were pictures of his companions, many from very different points in their time lines.

The smile grew as he flipped through them. He sat down onto the plush carpet and leaned back against the couch. These were his children of Time. He had checked in on all the ones he could eventually and had even visited several of them directly. It had been one of the few sources of comfort he could indulge in while under the supervision of the CIA.

Here were Ben and Polly not long after he regenerated and then again, years later, when he had managed to visit them recently. He was pleased to see them together and living a peaceful life while watching over children who had no one else to look after them.

And there was Victoria. The Doctor had always been sorry to see her leave the TARDIS, but had understood why she needed to start her life anew with the Harrises. Poor Victoria had gone through her own hardships on Earth due to the attempts by the Great Intelligence to gain yet another foothold onto the planet. Nevertheless, Victoria had persevered and was able to find a place for herself where she could be happy and lead a quiet existence away from those who would think nothing of disrupting her life again. In fact, the Doctor had taken steps to ensure that she would be left alone and was satisfied that he succeeded in this task.

Then there was Zoe. He had missed Zoe keenly and had worried about her for such a long time. The Time Lords had thought that they were merely taking away a few token memories that she wouldn't miss. They had not comprehended the true nature of the loss they had inflicted on her. She was deprived of her growth as a human as well as an intellect. She was able to relearn pieces of some of those lessons, but had struggled far more than she had originally to regain even that much. The environment Zoe had returned to was safe in a physical sense and gave her opportunities to use her genius in productive ways. However, it also did not have people who cared about her worth as a person and not just as a brain. She held onto her humanity, but only just and only by withdrawing from most of the people around her.

It had taken a lot of maneuvering and the completion of dozens of extremely hazardous missions before the Doctor was able to gain the clout to have her memories restored and to convince the Time Lords that the best solution to her situation was to let him place her somewhere where Zoe could use her gifts to benefit others while giving her a chance to continue the learning she had begun with him. What he eventually came up with was arranging it so that she was in charge of a burgeoning research station manned by races who were just getting started in their ability to contribute to the scientific knowledge of the universe. It was a challenging position, but the last time he visited her had shown him that she enjoyed her work. She was never given permission to travel with him again, so the Doctor had to try to be content with her being happy where she was and with his being able to see her from time to time.

Lastly, there was Jamie. The Doctor had treasured the Highlander's friendship and loyalty when they traveled together freely. This only increased after he was able to regain Jamie as a companion while working for the CIA. Jamie's company had been vital to him during some of his darkest times and the piper had saved his life and his sanity more than once during their assignments and during their periods of captivity in between. Although the Doctor was grateful for Jamie's unwavering devotion to him, a part of him would always feel somewhat guilty that Jamie had spent so many years alongside him when things were at their bleakest.

Still, there was a point when Jamie had to take some time away from the TARDIS. The piper had insisted on traveling with him for the rest of his life, but eventually, the Doctor was able to convince him that he needed spend some time living on his own, free of the CIA and their duplicity. The Doctor made sure to return him to Scotland, but to a different time than the one he came from so as to help him hide from their enemies. Jamie furthered this end by choosing to live in the more isolated areas of the moors and by keeping a low profile. There he stayed for the most part, other than a few years stretch where one of his later selves had collected Jamie to travel with him once more.

The Doctor sighed and shook his head. He had been angry at his "curly-haired poet with the rainbow wardrobe" self for quite a while for disrupting what was supposed to be Jamie's retirement from traveling through time and space. However, he hadn't been able to stay mad after he had accidentally run into his other self again and had made contact with him. The crushing grief, guilt and loneliness the Doctor had seen in his later self's hearts had explained to him better than words ever could why this incarnation had desperately needed time with Jamie again. Thankfully, his future self had kept the piper safe, and Jamie was even able to find time to marry and start a family of his own.

The Doctor chuckled a little as he studied the collection of pictures he had of Jamie's family. The boy had become a father and then a grandfather several times over, and yet still managed to always be a boy in the Doctor's eyes. During his many visits to Scotland, the Doctor was happy to watch the piper's children grow and to see Jamie enjoy a tranquil life in his homelands.

However, even that idyllic existence did not last as Jamie begged the Doctor to let him rejoin him in his travels once his children had grown. Years spent in good health and the side effects of years of time travel in the TARDIS had made it so that Jamie was younger and spryer, both physically and mentally, than his strict chronological age would normally dictate. Thus, he was able to withstand the rigors of traveling with the Doctor even while becoming what humans considered elderly.

In the end, even Jamie had to stop eventually when his hair also turned white, warm like cotton, and when occasional twinges of arthritis and other signs of age began to appear. That moment when they knew that this would be Jamie's last time on the TARDIS had been a heartbreaking one for both of them, but both of them agreed that it was better to quit while there could still be a happier conclusion for their travels. The Doctor still visited him from time to time. However, those visits were getting farther and farther apart, a fact which escaped neither man's notice.

The Doctor ran his finger along the image of Jamie's face and sighed again. He still believed that it was probably better for the piper to spend his remaining years on Earth, but recently he was given a reason to re-think this idea. Not too long ago, he had completed a mission for the CIA that led to his dismantling a laboratory that was illegally creating clones for experimental purposes. The sole surviving clone the Doctor had found had been one of Jamie which had been created from a genetic sample that had been harvested without his knowledge. Unfortunately, this clone of Jamie died only a couple hours after he had been rescued due to the tendency for clones to have a short lifespan. Before he had died, this Jamie had begged the Doctor for one last favor.

"_I'm asking ye to go back and see me, the real me, one last time. I know I won' care aboot where we end up goin' or how dangerous 'tis. Jes, let me have one last time wit' ye. Please, Doctor."_

The Doctor felt his eyes water up again. He had promised to honor the clone's last request, even though he had felt uneasy about it the moment he said the words. He knew that he could never go back on a promise he had made to Jamie, not even to a clone version of him. Plus, he knew that, if he asked, Jamie, the original one, would readily agree to one last trip with him.

The problem was the Doctor wasn't entirely sure if he would be able to send Jamie back to Scotland once it was over. Rationally, he knew that it would be safer for the piper to return, but it was equally rational to argue that Jamie should spend what time he had left doing whatever would make him happy. Also, his own impending death had made the Doctor realize that he did not want to be alone when his final moments came. It was an inner conflict that the Doctor knew would have no easy answers.

A soft 'ping' on the communications console abruptly put an end to the Doctor's reverie. He shoved the wallet back into his pocket to see what the Time Lords wanted from him now.

'_Of course, another CIA assignment,' _he thought as he read. '_I suppose there's a slim chance of it being anything else these days.'_

The Doctor studied the wording of the message again, his expression becoming grim. Tevas was never this commanding when left to his own devices. This summons had Goth's influence steeped into every word. He would have to be careful in his approach to this assignment.

The Doctor brushed his hands along his coat and ran a hand through his hair for all the good that gesture would do him. It was time to put aside these softer thoughts and feelings for now.

* * *

Minutes later, the Doctor was seated on a ridiculously luxurious chair in front of a table that gleamed in the dim lights of the conference room. He only had to wait alone for a few seconds before Goth appeared with Tevas close behind.

"I thought as much," the Doctor said, keeping his eyes on Goth. "Tell me, isn't it difficult to juggle this with all your other duties as Chancellor now?"

"Why Doctor, you surprise me," Goth said with a chuckle. "You should know by now that I always make time for all the little things that need attention."

"Chancellor Goth is here in a strictly advisory role," Tevas interjected. "He is not…."

"Oh of course he's the one in charge here," the Doctor snapped. "There's no point in you trying to cover for it. So why don't we all stop with the pretense."

Tevas opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped when Goth held up a hand.

"Perhaps the Doctor is right," Goth said. "Perhaps now is the time to be candid, as it were."

Tevas and Goth sat down in front of the Doctor. Tevas continued to open and close his mouth as if he was on the verge of saying something important while Goth kept silent while watching the Doctor with his usual contemptuous gaze.

"As you probably know, the area near the planet Colus has had some temporal instability for some time," Goth said. "Recently, that instability has increased. We would like you to investigate this."

"Don't think that I haven't noticed that you're choosing to gloss over the fact that three other CIA agents have gone missing trying to do the same thing," the Doctor said cagily.

"How did you know about that?" Tevas spluttered. "That was…."

"Now, Tevas, I think a better question to ask is why the Doctor continues to be so well informed about how you handle the affairs of this agency," Goth interrupted. "Yes, there have been some…unexplained disappearances, but we have no data as to why that has occurred. We were hoping you could provide it for us."

"Or maybe disappear myself," the Doctor grumbled.

"Now Doctor, you shouldn't think that way," Goth said, entirely too pleasantly for the Doctor's taste. "We really do want you to discover just what is happening in that corner of the universe. Left unchecked, a temporal disturbance of that nature could threaten all life in that galaxy, not to mention the damage it could do to the fabric of time."

"We will perform any maintenance you might need on your TARDIS to prepare you for the journey," Tevas said.

"Thank you, but no," the Doctor said. "If this assignment is as dangerous as you're making it out to be, the last thing I need is someone mucking up my TARDIS."

"You will also have a partner for this mission," Tevas said through gritted teeth.

"Again, not necessary," the Doctor said, his tone less cordial. "I work better on my own."

"Oh, but I think you will agree to our choice of partner," Goth said with a barely concealed smirk. The chancellor pushed a button on the table. "Send him in."

The doors to the conference room parted, and the Doctor's mouth fell open when he saw the person who walked inside.

"Jamie….?"


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Next chapter. Once again, credit goes to **aragonite** for inspiring Jamie's look in this fic...

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Three

The Doctor rose to his feet and stared in disbelief at the figure in the doorway.

The tint of the hair had softened into a creamy white and there were a few more lines on the face, but it was indeed Jamie McCrimmon. He was wearing a grey jacket over a black shirt with long, loose sleeves. Underneath his usual kilt, sporran, and sheath for his dirk were a pair of cotton trews and his favorite boots. From the look of him, only a couple of years at most had passed for Jamie since he had last visited him, but for the Doctor it had been at least a couple of decades. Thus, it was impossible for him to hide the mix of emotions he had upon seeing him again after all that time.

Goth watched the scene in front of him with interest. He knew the Doctor well enough to be able to guess at some of the emotions that briefly flickered on the man's face. Confusion, regret, joy: all of it was there and all of it was expected.

However, Goth had not anticipated one emotion rising up and completely dominating the rest: anger.

"How dare you," the Doctor said, his tone venomous. "How dare you bring Jamie into this. You had no right…."

"The Tellurian is still registered as one of our agents," Tevas said. "And as such we have the right to recall him to service if the situation…."

"That arrangement ended a long time ago and you know it!" the Doctor bellowed. "Check your records again. He had his identifying chip removed and had retired from service. The agreement was that he be allowed to live the rest of his life on Earth without any more interference from the CIA or any other Time Lords."

"That may be," Tevas sniffed. "But you should know that the Tellurian came willingly once the agent who retrieved him explained our reasons for bringing him here."

The Doctor's eyes narrowed into dark slits. It was clear that he would not be satisfied with Tevas' attempts to placate him through a wall of procedure.

"How did your agent know where to look for him?" the Doctor asked, menace seeping into his tone. Tevas flinched in response, and even Goth was unnerved for a second by the Doctor's demeanor before regaining his carefully crafted composure.

"Come now, Doctor," Goth said pleasantly. "Surely you were not working under the assumption that you are the only one capable of being clever. You may have erased all information related to where you deposited this Tellurian from our records."

"You have no proof of that!" the Doctor snapped.

"An unimportant detail, really," Goth said with a wave of his hand. "It may have annoyed others within the CIA, but I was content to let you have your petty victory. However, as to your question of how we were able to find him again, let's just say that your…sentimental nature defines you, Doctor. Once that was taken into account, it really was only a matter of time before we learned what we needed to know."

The Doctor continued to glare at Goth and Tevas, but remained silent. Tevas kept his gaze fixed on the tabletop, unnerved by the fury that still radiated from the Doctor. Goth, however, was calm and astute enough to see that there was perplexity in the Doctor's eyes behind those blue pools of anger. The answer would come to him soon enough, but for now, the Doctor would mind his words carefully. At least until he was able to figure out how he had been outwitted.

"Doctor, I'm sorry," Jamie said, his voice soft and repentant. "I know ye dinna want me to come back here, but I…. Och, it had been tae long. I jes could nae let ye keep doin' this alone."

The piper's words had an almost magical effect on the Doctor. All the rage and suspicion had vanished leaving behind only a wistful, tender concern.

"It's all right, Jamie," he murmured. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's these two who are to blame. They should have never been allowed to come anywhere near you."

The Doctor turned his gaze away from the piper and back toward Tevas and Goth, his expression immediately becoming hostile again.

"And you should have known better than to ask him to come here," he spat. "This work is too much for a human of his age. These missions are horribly dangerous for a member of his race with half as many years. It's inexcusable to enlist him when he's this old."

"Hey, I'll have ye know that I'm nae as old as that," Jamie protested, crossing his arms over his chest. "And those medical lads ye have here agree wit' me."

"It's true," Goth nodded. "Despite what you might think, we are not without compassion, Doctor. We have no intention of assigning you a partner who is not physically able to withstand the rigors required for this mission. A complete examination of this Tellurian was performed on him when he arrived. If you were to read medical staff's reports, you'll find that, while he may not be at the prime of his life, he is in fine condition indeed. Enough to support you for an assignment like this, I'm sure."

Goth pulled out an electronic tablet out of one of the folds of his robes and handed it over to Tevas, who accepted it with jittery hands.

"Yes, yes," Tevas said nervously. "Perhaps it's a side benefit he gained from years of travel in that antiquated TARDIS of yours. After all, so little is known about the effects of artron energy on Tellurians."

Goth's expression suddenly changed from one of placid, yet smug, indifference to malevolent displeasure as his eyes darted over to glower at Tevas. Tevas coughed and fidgeted with device in his hands for a second before he finally shoved it over toward the Doctor. Then, the look of malice on Goth's face vanished almost as swiftly as it had arrived.

"Anyway, the reports are all there," Tevas said. "You'll see that they support our assessment that the Tellurian is healthy enough to assist you on this assignment."

The Doctor leaned over and picked up the tablet. The exchange between Goth and Tevas had not gone unnoticed by him. Even though his curiosity had been piqued, he decided to put his questions and suspicions aside for the moment. Right now, he was more concerned about Jamie and his wellbeing.

As he scanned the information on the screen, he reluctantly admitted to himself that Goth and Tevas were right about the piper being in great health. Of course, the Doctor was certain that some of that was due to Jamie's inherent hardiness and the clean, healthy lifestyle he had adhered to for his entire life. Nevertheless, he was also aware that Tevas was not wrong in thinking that there was a connection between the amount of time Jamie had spent traveling with him and his current robust state in spite of his advanced age. It definitely explained why Jamie was able to pass these examinations with such good results.

'_Yes, they're good. Maybe a little too good? It's almost as if there's something, some vital detail that should be there and yet isn't. Or maybe it is there and for some reason I can't pinpoint what it is. But what could it be? Perhaps these reports have been tampered with in some way?'_

The Doctor glanced over at Goth, Tevas and then Jamie while appearing to concentrate on the tablet. Tevas didn't have the imagination necessary to pull off a plan like that. Goth certainly had the required cunning, but such a direct approach was not his style. Especially given that it would be so easy to find out if these reports were not being truthful in their assessments. Also, as eager as he might be to resume his travels, Jamie would never resort to lying about his health as a way to argue his case. Plus, it was impossible to miss the bright spark of vitality in the piper's eyes or the youthful, steady ease in his posture and step. Despite the Doctor's reservations, the fact remained that Jamie was in the best shape he had seen in quite a while.

"Now, if you are satisfied that everything is in order with your assistant, perhaps we can continue with this mission briefing," Goth said.

The Doctor made sure to spend at least another minute studying the tablet in his hands before finally sitting it down and raising his head.

"Very well," the Doctor huffed. "Get on with it then. Jamie."

Jamie nodded in response and moved around the table to stand next to the Doctor. The two of them sat down in unison while Goth leaned back in his chair.

"As I was saying earlier, Doctor, the space around Colus has had a long history of temporal distortion," he said. "It is part of the reason that Colus has remained mostly undisturbed despite research that indicated that there are deposits of several valuable mineral ores. Many ships have reported problems with their navigational systems as soon as they approach the area."

"Of course, we had a beacon placed on the planet years ago to monitor the distortions," Tevas nodded.

"On the planet?" the Doctor said. "Why there? Why not in orbit near the heart of the distortions?"

"Because oddly enough, the planet _is_ the heart of the distortions," Goth replied.

"The planet itself?" the Doctor said. "But time distortions like the ones observed near Colus would cause serious instability to the basic structure of all the matter in its composition."

"In theory, yes," Goth said. "And yet, all the information gathered from beings who have had a chance to survey the planet shows that it is quite stable. Granted, that might be because the temporal flux appears to weaken in intensity the closer one gets to the planet's surface. Nevertheless, all readings indicate that the origin of the distortions is Colus itself."

"Strange," the Doctor mumbled. "It should be worse closer to the source of the distortions, not better."

"Ye mean, it's like the calm at the eye of a storm?" Jamie said.

"Yes, much like that, Jamie," the Doctor said. "But that's not how temporal distortions tend to work."

The Doctor put a finger to his chin, his eyes distant and lost in thought. Tevas looked as if he wanted to hurry things along, but Goth held up his hand as a sign to wait until the Doctor spoke again. It wasn't long in coming.

"Why are you asking us to investigate instead of preparing a team to seal the temporal fissures?" the Doctor asked. "If the Time Lords are so worried about this time distortion spreading, I would think that they would have sent people in to take care of the problem."

"Well, um," Tevas muttered. "The truth is, ah well…."

"Ye don' know what's goin' on?" Jamie smirked. "Is that it?"

Tevas scowled. He tried to give the piper his most intimidating expression, but as usual it ended up looking like pouting instead. The Doctor chuckled.

"I believe you've come upon the answer, Jamie," he said. "Apparently, their beacon isn't working and hasn't been for some time. Now, they are no longer sure of what exactly they're dealing with or how bad the problem has become. But as much as they want to know what is happening, they also don't want to inform the High Council before they are sure that the problem is serious enough to warrant their official action. You see, if this temporal disturbance turned out to be not as bad as they thought, it would make the CIA appear incapable of handling their own problems and would weaken their position with those who are currently under their influence."

"Aye, so they want us to do their dirty work and check it out for them," Jamie nodded.

"A potentially hazardous, but important mission," Goth said, pointedly ignoring the Doctor's comments. "As I said before, I'm sure you understand the potential consequences if this anomaly were allowed to get out of control. We must have more data."

"True," the Doctor said. "But nothing you've said explains why those other agents disappeared. If all they were doing was checking on the beacon and possibly replacing it, they should have been in no danger. Especially given how Colus actually has less temporal instability than the space around it."

"Mebbe there's some nasty beasties on the planet," Jamie shrugged. "Or the people there are nae so friendly."

"All the reports from those who have been to the planet indicate that there are no aggressive creatures on Colus," Tevas said. "And as for the natives, they have been nothing but peaceful and welcoming to all the travelers who have made contact with them. They are a simple people. Few in number and content to a subsistence lifestyle in a couple of isolated villages scattered about the planet."

"Or there are other natives, other creatures, that are as yet, undiscovered by those who have visited in the past," the Doctor said. "At least not by those who survived their visits to the planet. After all, if they are hostile life forms on Colus, it's entirely plausible that the people who encountered them never had a chance to report it."

"A distinct possibility," Goth said. "And one that you will also need to investigate. If only to give closure to those agents whose lives were lost."

"I take it that you do not think that there is a connection between the time disturbances and the missing agents," the Doctor said.

"I do not," Goth responded. "You said it yourself. The weakened temporal flux on the planet would pose no real threat to a Time Lord. And the native people on that planet only have the most rudimentary vestiges of technology. Nothing that could produce such noticeable bends in space-time at any rate. So, if there is a hostile presence on Colus, its only role is one of interference with our analysis."

"Again, that's assuming that there aren't any other beings who are capable of producing these distortions who have just managed to stay hidden," the Doctor said. "Lazy thinking. That's so typical of Time Lords."

Tevas opened his mouth to protest again, but Goth silenced him with another glare. The Doctor wondered how Tevas was able to convince himself that he had any power over this situation.

"There is one other thing, Doctor," Goth added. "You will wear a Time Ring for this mission."

"No," the Doctor scowled. "If Jamie is to travel with me on this assignment, then we will go in my TARDIS."

"Oh you will be allowed to use TARDIS," Goth said, his smile returning. "But you will also wear the Time Ring. You see, Doctor, it will be for your own protection."

"What do you mean?" the Doctor said, his eyes narrowing again.

"Three other agents have disappeared," Goth answered. "The fact that their TARDISs returned to us without them automatically is a strong indication that they were killed. Our plan is to outfit this Time Ring with a life monitor. If you are mortally wounded, we will return you to your proper place within your time stream and transport you and your TARDIS to a time period on Earth of the High Council's choosing. There, you will able to safely regenerate and begin your exile."

"What about Jamie?" the Doctor retorted. "You can't leave him alone on Colus."

"He will also be given a Time Ring with the same modification, and you will be allowed to input any time coordinates you wish," Goth said. "If at any point you feel that the risks to his life are too great, you will be able to send him to somewhere you deem safe. Should anything happen to you, we will activate the Time Ring ourselves to send him to the coordinates you have programmed into the device. If you are worried about us tracking his movements, let me assure you that we have no intention of doing so. The coordinates you input will be erased as soon as it has delivered him to his destination."

"What if we succeed in our mission?" the Doctor asked. "What then?"

"Then, Doctor, you will continue to serve the CIA until we feel the time has come for you to begin your sentence on Earth," Goth said. "However, as for the Tellurian, he will be in your custody. His obligation to us will be at an end and his file with the CIA will be closed permanently. You may take him to a secure location in space and time and leave him there. Or you can choose to have him stay with you with no requirement that he take part in any future missions. The choice will be yours."

"And his," the Doctor retorted. "Don't ever forget that."

"Naturally," Goth said, his tone nauseatingly agreeable. "Now Doctor, is there anything else we need to discuss?

The Doctor leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together. He was certain that there were at least one or two things that he wasn't being told. Neither Goth nor Tevas said it directly, but they had also made no attempts to conceal the fact that he was not expected to survive this mission. That alone was enough to convince the Doctor that he was being given full disclosure about the actual assignment.

That led to only one other option: that they were hiding something in relation to Jamie. Rage over the piper being used as a pawn by the CIA again bubbled up inside him, but the Doctor made sure to keep it under control. No matter what this mission might have in store for him, he needed to find out exactly what Goth had planned for Jamie and put a stop to it. That meant that he would have to play along for now.

"No, nothing else," he finally said. "Are we expected to wait in that oubliette?"

"You may wait for your Time Rings and your final instructions in your TARDIS if you wish," Goth said. "I'm sure we can trust you to remain on Gallifrey until we are ready for you to leave."

"Of course," the Doctor said, his smile all innocence. "Come along, Jamie."

The Doctor and Jamie rose and strolled out of the conference room. Once they were out of earshot, Tevas turned his chair toward Goth.

"Chancellor," he said. "You know that not all of those adjustments will work on the Tellurian's Time Ring, and besides, even if they did…."

"Don't worry so much, Tevas," Goth interrupted. "I only gave him those assurances so he would stop fussing over the details. The key features needed for this mission will operate satisfactorily, so there will hardly be any room for complaints from the Doctor. As long as the technicians carry out my instructions for the modifications, the Tellurian's device will serve its purpose."

"And what about the Doctor?" Tevas asked. "Are you absolutely sure that he won't figure out the truth behind the Tellurian's being here?"

"Not absolutely, no," Goth said. "There is always a chance that the Doctor will discover our secret, but again, it won't matter. Once he learns the entire truth about the situation, he will not be able to act objectively. That will be his undoing and will keep us shielded from any recriminations from the High Council. Now, go see about those Time Rings. Inform me once they are ready."

Tevas nodded and got up to leave the room. After he had left, Goth tapped his fingers against the table surface.

The plan was unfolding flawlessly. From now on, it would just a matter of waiting.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Next chapter. It might be a bit before I put up another one so I can catch up on a couple of other fics, but hopefully it won't be too long...

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Four

On Colus, Munro stood watch near the edge of the village.

Despite his relatively young age, he could remember a time when such tasks were not necessary. He was one of the Tela, and the Tela on Colus had always lived in peace with one another. Part of this was because their population had never grown to any significant size and part of this due to the fact that they usually made their settlements far enough apart so that there wasn't any competition for resources or space. There were occasional visitors from the stars, but they would always rapidly lose interest in Colus and leave as soon as they could. As a result, there used to be little to fear as long as one stayed clear of the heart of the jungles during the night hours when some of the animals grew bold.

At least, this used to be true until the Vele finally emerged after centuries of absence.

Munro tightened his grip on his staff. He had heard the legends of the Vele, just as every other child in the village had. Of how they used to be kith and kin to the Tela until one day they turned their backs on nature and the gods. Of how they eventually left their homes and disappeared into the network of caverns that lay underneath the forests. Of how they refused to allow any of the Tela anywhere near them and had chosen to live in complete isolation from the outside world. While all of this was considered historical fact among the Tela, no one had been certain if the Vele still existed for hundreds of years. There had been no trace, no sign of them for so long, they seemed more like a legend than a people and culture that used to live alongside the Tela.

All that changed six dual moons ago when the servants of the Vele appeared at the outskirts of the village.

Restless, Munro paced back and forth in front of his post. He was there the first time the Vele attacked the village. Everyone had stood in awe of the long, silvery snakes that moved as one out of the jungles. They were unlike any creature that was known on Colus. Some even wondered if they were a sign from the gods.

It was the Elder, the one who now existed outside the eddies of Time, who knew them for what they were. The Elder had had only seconds to warn them before the servants of Vele tried to grab one of the men standing next to Munro. After that, all of the Tela came to realize the terrible truth: that the Vele had gone from being legends and hermits to a very real and lethal enemy.

"Hey, Munro!"

Munro gasped and whirled around to see Bodil walking toward him, a smirk on his face.

"What's the matter Munro?" Bodil laughed. "Are you seeing Vele in your head too?"

"That is nothing to laugh at, Bodil," Munro said, his tone harsh. "The Elder is right, you know. There's a reason why the Vele had come back after all this time, and it can't be a good one."

"And I still think we're panicking over nothing," Bodil replied. "I mean, yeah, the Vele have attacked us a few times and yeah, we did lose a few of our men. But we've been able to beat them back every time after that, right? And these days, they hardly ever even show themselves anymore. I'm telling you, they're getting ready to go back to sleeping like they did before."

"Sleeping? Is that what you think they were doing?" Munro asked. "For all those centuries?"

"Why not?" Bodil said. "It's as good an explanation as any. Look, you know and I know that not even the Elder knows for sure what they've been doing all this time or why they've come back. For all we know, they're just testing us Tela to see if they can take our lands and make us their slaves. Well, they're starting to figure out that we won't give up without a fight and that's why we're not seeing so much of them anymore."

"I suppose it's possible," Munro said, scratching his chin.

"Sure it is," Bodil said. "You just wait. This will all be over in a couple of moons."

"Honestly, I hope you're right," Munro said. "It's hard enough to plan around harvest times without having to worry about the Vele on top of it all. Although…."

"Although what?"

"Bodil, you don't think the rumor's true, is it? That the Vele wiped out all the other villages of the Tela? That we're the only ones left?"

"Of course not," Bodil said. "I'm sure there are still other Tela still out there. We just haven't seen them. You know as well as I do that our cousins tend to keep to themselves. One day, we will see more Tela again."

"Well, I almost hope it's sooner rather than later," Munro said. "If only so I can get rid of these feelings of foreboding."

"Sooner. Later. You know that things like that don't mean a lot around here," Bodil laughed again. "Speaking of that, how is your boy these days?"

"Much better, thank you," Munro said. "We were worried that his change forward to an old man would be permanent this time, but thankfully, he's gone back to being a child again. Still, I wish he could be like the Elder and not have to worry about such things."

"Well, that won't be for a long time," Bodil said. "Whatever that means anymore."

"True," Munro said. "Well, I need to get home now. You take care on your watch."

Munro walked away, leaving Bodil alone at his post. The sun had risen to its zenith, and Bodil eyed the area underneath a nearby lipturl tree as an ideal spot to take a quick nap. He gave the area around him a few more cursorily glances before walking over and sitting down on the cool grass. Moments later, he was fast asleep.

Bodil never saw the writhing, slithering bands of silver moving toward him.

And after that morning, no one from the village ever saw Bodil again.

* * *

On the TARDIS, the Doctor stood in front of the central column, lost in thought.

After waiting over three hours within the docking bay, Goth finally showed up with two time rings and coordinates that would enable them to land a short distance from where Aronoldar had landed previously. Goth had a technician secure the Doctor's time ring to his arm. A precautionary measure he had said to make sure that he couldn't be separated from it. It was almost a convincing lie if not for the fact that the same precautions were not taken with Jamie's time ring.

Once he had received their final instructions, the Doctor took off into the Vortex, pointedly making sure to delay entering in the coordinates into the TARDIS' navigational systems. He knew that that would eventually raise some suspicions among the Time Lords who were sure to be monitoring him, but he did not care.

He needed time to think.

The Doctor studied the controls in front of him for a moment more before turning his gaze toward the slumbering figure in the chair nearby. He wasn't all that surprised that Jamie fell asleep not long after they had absconded into the TARDIS. He was certain that the piper had had little rest ever since the CIA agent picked him up and took him to Gallifrey to be examined and prepared for this assignment. Knowing first-hand how long those processes could be and given Jamie's age, it wasn't shocking that he would be tired out after all that.

Another frown appeared on the Doctor's face. Despite the medical reports and Goth's assurances, he still worried about bringing Jamie along for a mission like this. He wasn't as spry as he used to be, and thus, he wasn't sure about his ability to keep the piper safe. It wasn't long until that worry turned into renewed anger.

'_He should be spending time with his children and his grandchildren,' _he silently fumed. '_Going for walks on the moors or tending to his estate…. He should be home. Not running after me on some horribly dangerous assignment.'_

Jamie let out a loud snore and stirred in his chair. The Doctor's shoulders drooped as he walked over and placed his hand onto the Scot's head, his fingers lightly stroking his hair.

'_This isn't how it was supposed to be,' _he thought to himself. '_Jamie was supposed to live out the rest of his years in peace and comfort. He's given too much , sacrificed far too much, for me already.'_

'_I wanted him to be safe. To be happy and free.'_

'_What went wrong? Why were they able to find him?'_

The Doctor's hand stilled. He thought about the place he had chosen for Jamie and all the care that went into that decision. It was not a destination he had chosen on the spur of the moment. True, he made sure to choose Scotland because of Jamie's deep attachment to his homeland, but he had made additional considerations involving time, relative thinness between dimensions and distance from heavily populated areas in order to best hide the piper from those who would try to find him in order to use him as leverage. Once he had found a suitable place, the Doctor had taken extra steps to make sure that the TARDIS couldn't be traced after he dropped Jamie off and for all the subsequent times he visited.

"…_let's just say that your…sentimental nature defines you, Doctor…."_

The Doctor felt both of his hearts sink. In that moment, he had had an epiphany and finally was able to guess how Goth was able to find Jamie.

'_All those times…all those times I visited Jamie at his home. I thought I was being careful, but all it would have taken was the smallest mistake, the slightest miscalculation in how I reset the navigation circuits, to leave a trail that could be followed. And even if I had made sure to flawlessly to cover my tracks, Goth would have only had to take careful note of my travel records which are stored in the Matrix and be patient enough to wait for a pattern to emerge. A pattern that could be extrapolated into a rough estimate of where to begin looking. And while Goth is many things, impatient is not one of them….'_

The Doctor removed his hand from Jamie's head and walked over to the far side of the room to face the wall. He knew that it was risky to visit Jamie so many times, and he had fully intended to not make a habit of it. But he hadn't been able to help himself. The thought of saying goodbye to Jamie forever was just too painful to consider. Deep down, the Doctor knew that that day would have to come eventually, but he hadn't been able let it happen while the piper was still alive. Those precious days spent with Jamie and his family on the moors had made all those years working as a slave for the CIA bearable.

For a brief moment, he thought about how one of his later selves had somehow stumbled onto Jamie's hiding place and had also been unable to stay away. To this day, the Doctor wondered how his future version was able to get around the blocks in his mind he had created to prevent any of his other selves from knowing where he had put Jamie as an added layer of protection. Eventually, he had chalked it up to luck and this incarnation's unfortunate tendency to lose himself within the entirety of their time stream.

However, even though he was loathe to admit it, the Doctor was relieved that this colorful, poetic self had both great engineering skill and an enormous amount of tenacity when he became fixated on something. As a result, his later incarnation managed to conceive and incorporate a system into the TARDIS which completely erased any trace of his many visits to Scotland from the area of space-time surrounding Jamie's location and even from the Vortex itself. As tempting as it was to shift the blame, the Doctor knew that his future self was not the one responsible for this.

There was also the way that Jamie always begged him to come back each and every time he prepared to depart. In all the years that they traveled together, the Doctor could only think of a handful of times when Jamie had pleaded for some favor from him. Usually, he never asked for anything, at least for anything of any real consequence. The only exception to this was the piper's continued requests that he keep returning to visit him. The Doctor often thought about telling him that it wouldn't be possible and that this latest visit would be the absolute last time, but the fact was, he had always found it exceedingly difficult to say no to Jamie. Especially when it was something that meant the world to the piper. Nor could he ever could blame Jamie for any of this either.

No matter how he tried to look at it, the fault was entirely his own.

The Doctor closed his eyes and ground his jaw. He now realized that he should have never given in to his longings to spend just a little more time with the Scot. He should have dropped Jamie off at the place he had selected and never gone back. His selfishness had cost Jamie the tranquility he should have enjoyed in the last years of his life.

A cavernous yawn interrupted his thoughts. The Doctor turned to see Jamie blinking his eyes open and stretching his arms over his head.

"I dinna know I was so tired," Jamie said as he rubbed his eyes. "Are we away?"

"Yes Jamie," the Doctor smiled at him. "Although, I can honestly say that you didn't miss anything."

"Right, jes the usual jabber from Goth before we leave then, eh?" Jamie said with another yawn. "I don' mind sayin' that for a wee bit there, I thought we'd ne'er be able to go."

"Well you know the Time Lords, Jamie," the Doctor huffed. "As far as they're concerned, there's no reason to be expeditious about anything. Not when they have millennia to fritter away. Now then, let's see about putting this time ring on your arm."

"Ye're really goin' to do that, Doctor?" Jamie asked. "I figured ye jes said that so Goth would leave ye alone. It's nae like ye can put any sort o' faith in his plans."

"Normally, I would agree with you completely," the Doctor said. "But I have my own reasons for wanting to take advantage of this extra safeguard. Fortunately, the technicians at the docking bay were careless, and I was able to catch a glimpse of the travel log of the TARDIS that picked you up from Earth. According to my calculations, the coordinates I've fed into your time ring should put you back only a few hours after you had left."

"Oh," Jamie said, his smile on his face falling. "Well…thank ye Doctor. But ye don' need to worry so much aboot gettin' the time exactly right, ye know. I'm used to landing in a verra different place than I was expecting."

"But Jamie, what about your family?" the Doctor said. "Won't they wonder where you've gone? Won't they be worried about you?"

"They're used to me popping off wit' ye at the drop of a hat," Jamie chuckled. "Ye should know that by now. Besides, I…well, they're pretty busy these days. Why, nae tae long ago they welcomed the next generation of McCrimmons into this world."

"Jamie, that's wonderful," the Doctor beamed at him. "Congratulations, dear boy, congratulations. So what does that make you now? A great grandfather? This is splendid news."

"Yes, 'tis great," Jamie said. "But…'tis nae all been so wonderful. I…."

The piper bowed his head and swiped at his eyes. Concerned, the Doctor moved closer and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Jamie…?"

"I buried the last of my sons a month ago," Jamie said in a low, watery voice. "All my children are gone, Doctor. I've buried them all. Jes like I buried my wife all those years ago. They're all gone and I'm still here."

The Doctor winced and gently tightened his grip on the piper's shoulder. He knew all too well what it was like to watch people he treasured grow old and die while remained relatively unchanged. Granted, it wasn't quite the same for Jamie. The piper had grown noticeably older within a period of time that would be considered short in Time Lord terms. However, the significantly slower rate by which Jamie was aging had made it possible for him to outlive almost everyone he knew.

"Jamie, I am sorry," the Doctor murmured. Jamie nodded and placed one of his hands onto the Doctor's shoulder.

"Doctor, I…After this is over, do ye…do ye have to send me back so soon? Is there no way I could stay wit' ye a while longer?"

"Jamie…."

"Please Doctor. My family...they have their own lives now. Their own families to raise and their own fortunes to build. They're doin' fine wit'out me."

The Doctor sighed and drew Jamie close to him. He knew that the piper cared for his family, but it was impossible to miss the loneliness behind Jamie's words. It was a feeling he had had to live with for far too long.

"All right, Jamie," he said. "Once this is over…then we'll see."

Jamie's face lit up with a wide grin, and the Doctor found himself smiling back at him. Truthfully, he had his doubts about having Jamie spend any more time with him than was absolutely necessary and was already starting to think about the best ways to break this to him.

But then he remembered that there was still Goth and his shadowy plans to consider. Until he knew for sure what the devious Time Lord's schemes were, it probably was safer to not let Jamie out of his sight. It would do as an excuse to keep the piper close to him for now.

And it would give him time to prepare himself for the moment in the near future when he would be forced to part ways with Jamie forever.

* * *

A few minutes later, the Doctor finished checking on the time ring Goth had given him and had placed it onto Jamie's forearm above the wrist. The piper looked down and marveled at how light it was and how he could barely feel it on his arm.

"Readings look excellent," the Doctor muttered as he studied the tiny screen near the upper edge of the ring. "You really have been keeping yourself in good shape, Jamie."

"Livin' and farmin' out on the moors will do that for ye," Jamie chuckled as he pulled his sleeve down to cover his arm. "Nae to mention all those years running away from beasties."

"Yes, quite," the Doctor said. "Now, let's see about getting to our destination."

The Doctor moved over to the main console while Jamie silently stood next to him.

He had noted, of course, the slight tremor in his friend's hands and a couple of stumbles as the Doctor shuffled about, tiny intervals of clumsiness that had not been there before. Those times when the Doctor appeared momentarily confused, as if he had lost track of what he was doing, had not gone unnoticed either. There were other more obvious hints like the Doctor's white hair and additional wrinkles, but they had existed for a while and had never held much significance to the piper before. However, now, Jamie was faced with a truth he could scarcely believe.

The Doctor was old and not just old in his human sense of the word. He was old in a way that was meaningful to a Time Lord. And all the frailties that often came with advanced age were starting to overtake him.

A bitterness churned Jamie's stomach as he thought about the unfairness of it all. The piper was aware that he would be considered old too, but he didn't feel it at all. Here he was, hale and hearty while the Doctor struggled to conceal his infirmity. Long ago, Jamie had resigned himself to the idea that the Doctor would live hundreds of years beyond his brief lifespan. Therefore, it felt wrong to Jamie to see the Doctor acting even older than him.

Even worse was the fact that, despite having become elderly in this form, the Doctor was still forced to carry out assignment after assignment for the CIA.

'_He should nae have to do that anymore,' _the piper thought angrily. '_Why won' they let him go so he can have some peace at the end of this life? Instead they're using him up 'til there's nothing left. They prolly don' even care aboot how much he's suffering.'_

Jamie swallowed hard, but kept his expression as neutral as possible. Numerous trips to Gallifrey and encounters with many other Time Lords had not been enough for him to understand why the Doctor's own people felt the need to treat him so horribly. He doubted that he would ever find an answer that made sense to him.

However, he did understand the idea that there was much that was unfair in the universe. Traveling with the Doctor had strengthened this belief over the years. But those travels had also given him the fortitude to fight against those iniquities. He had heard Goth mention that the Doctor would be free to decide what happened to him after this mission was over and had decided that he would have to convince the Doctor to take advantage of this opportunity. The piper was aware that the Doctor would resist the idea and was not looking forward to the tension and possible that could come forth as a result, but Jamie was determined to stand his ground on this point.

'_He's taken care of me my whole life. And now it's time for me to care for him. I swear I will nae leave him alone again.'_

'_Nae 'til I draw my dying breath.'_


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Next chapter. I hope my readers will enjoy this one. :)

On a related note *shameless plug* today I put up the first chapter of my compilation fic of one-shots/drabbles for the Second Doctor entitled_ The Spaces in_ _Songs._ The first chapter, _In_ _Memoriam_, is a missing preview scene for this fic. So if you would like to read an extra scene that takes place shortly before the events in this story, check it out. :)

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Five

_-Regeneration is a natural part of a Time Lord's existence. It enables them to exist as stable elements within the fluid nature of Time. It is a process of rebirth which helps them to adapt to ever-changing demands that come with lives that stretch across millennia._

_However, the promise of regeneration does not mean that Time Lords do not fear death. Be it a few years or a few centuries, every regeneration is a gift that should not be squandered on the reckless, petty whims that lie outside the purview of Time Lord society. _

_There are, of course, those who ignore the warnings, reject the laws, and pay no heed to the precepts established by Lord Rassilon. They are the renegades, dangerous radicals who cannot appreciate the true meaning of a Time Lord's commitment to Time. If they cannot be healed of their sickness of the mind, it is better for them to be cast out lest they contaminate the society as a whole. Once they are on their own, it will be up to them to ask themselves what they will devote their lives to._

_And more importantly, what they will be willing to sacrifice them for._

_-__Excerpt from an old Gallifreyan storybook_

* * *

The TARDIS soon materialized onto Colus near the edge of a steep cliff overlooking flatter land below. The Doctor and Jamie stepped outside a few moments later.

"Oh my," the Doctor said, dabbing at his face with this handkerchief. "It is rather hot out here, isn't it?"

"Aye," Jamie said, shedding the jacket he had been wearing and tossing it back inside the TARDIS. "Yon sun is beating doon on us."

"Not just one sun, Jamie," the Doctor said. "Two of them. Look at that over there."

Jamie looked up toward where the Doctor pointed to see a second sun blazing on the opposite point of the horizon from the first one. Jamie took a few steps forward and shaded his eyes with his palm while the Doctor locked up the TARDIS. Then the Doctor peered at the two suns again.

"Yes, interesting," he said. "Very interesting."

"What is it?"

"It appears as if these two suns are not in sync with each other," the Doctor answered. "I suspect that one of them rises much later and stays out not nearly as long as the other one. It's not the norm for planets that have an orbit around more than one star. I imagine it would be pretty disorienting to anyone who came here to visit."

"Does nae seem to hurt the plants any," Jamie shrugged. "That forest up ahead looks almost impassable it's so dense with branches and bracken."

"Well life native to this planet has probably adjusted to the weather uneven distribution of sunlight would cause, Jamie," the Doctor said. "Except…."

"Except what?"

The Doctor slowly crouched down to examine some flowers on the ground in front of him.

"Except it appears as if these plants are maturating at different rates," the Doctor said. "Look at this. These are the same species of flower. You can tell by the leaf structures. And yet these flowers up higher patch of ground have barely begun to bud while the ones on this lower patch have flowers that are getting ready to wilt. Both sets of plants appear to have equal exposure to light and to nutrients from the soil and are not very far apart from each other. Normally, you'd expect them to have roughly similar life cycles."

"Aye, I see what ye mean," Jamie nodded. "But what would cause that to happen, Doctor?"

"It could be a botanical phenomenon unique to this planet, but I don't think so," the Doctor said as he stood back up. "No, I believe this is the result of localized time eddies. Goth was right about one thing, Jamie. The flow of time on this planet is very erratic indeed. It appears to have affected the way life on this planet ages."

"Hey Doctor, does that mean that we'll be affected tae?" Jamie asked.

"Well, there's always a slight risk of that when dealing with time distortions," the Doctor answered. "But I doubt it in this case. When I was checking the readouts for this planet, I noticed that there was a trace of artron energy in the immediate area."

"Artron energy?" the piper repeated, quizzical. "Goth and that other Time Lord, Tevas, mentioned that tae. What is it, Doctor?"

"Temporal energy," the Doctor said. "It's an energy that is generated by traveling through time and it can be stored in the body. I have quite a lot of in my cells from spending so much time in the TARDIS. More than most Time Lords would normally have. In fact, Jamie, you probably have quite a reserve of it yourself. You've certainly traveled in time far more than most human beings."

"Is that bad then?" Jamie said, running his hands along his body.

"No," the Doctor said. "Artron energy generated by the TARDIS is harmless to almost all life forms, Jamie, including humans. In fact, it's probably part of the reason why you've aged so slowly. And as for the artron in the surrounding area, the concentrations are not high enough to worry. I'm thinking that life on this planet is affected because of long-term exposure to temporal distortions and the artron is just a side effect of that. So we probably won't notice any changes in the short time we'll be here."

"Ah," Jamie responded. "Tae bad. I would nae mind shaving off a few years myself. But then again, ye know what they say: ye're as young as ye feel."

"Whoever said that probably was not anywhere near the age either of us is now," the Doctor frowned. "Come on. It's time we got going."

"Aye, but where to?"

"Down there," the Doctor said, pointing a cluster of small cottages off in the distance. "According to all reports, the natives are friendly, so we should be able to find someone who could help us understand more about the situation here."

"That's a steep drop doon," Jamie said, looking over the edge of the cliff. "I don' know if I fancy tryin' to climb it."

"Neither do I, Jamie," the Doctor said. "But I see a path that leads downward through that forest. Hopefully, it will take us straight into that valley."

"Mebbe," the piper said. "But it'll be a long walk jes the same."

"Indeed," the Doctor replied. "Well, at least the weather is nice enough for it, and I imagine it will be a little cooler in all that shade. So let's go."

The Doctor pushed his way through the bracken with Jamie close behind. The entrance to the jungle was nearly covered with foliage which meant that they had to spend several minutes tearing open a way through the tangle of straggly branches and leaves until they finally reached the trail that was worn into the forest floor.

They were so caught up in their endeavor; neither of them noticed that all their movements had been watched.

* * *

DISPLACEMENT OF TEMPORAL ENEGRY TRACED.

"_Source?"_

ARRIVAL OF TIME-SPACE CRAFT OBSERVED. TWO ALIEN LIFE-FORMS HAVE EMERGED.

"_Another time-space craft?"_

"_Who can these visitors be?"_

"_Do they know of our plans?"_

"_Silence! Scout, report findings on life-forms."_

ALIEN LIFE-FORMS ARE HUMANOID IN APPEARANCE. THERE ARE SIGNS OF ADVANCED MATURITY IN BOTH BEINGS. ONE OF THEM EXIHIBTS EARLY STAGES OF AGE-RELATED DISEASE.

"_What are the aliens doing?"_

ALIENS ARE PRESENTLY ON A COURSE FOR THE TELA VILLIAGE.

"_They must have found out something of our plans and are going to the Tela to confirm their suspicions."_

"_We should not make assumptions. We must gather data."_

"_We must not let them make contact with the Tela."_

"_Scout, scan for temporal energy readings."_

READINGS SHOW HIGH LEVELS OF RESIDUAL TEMPORAL ENERGY.

"_Good. Scout, pursue targets and retrieve. Harvest residual energy._

UNDERSTOOD. IT SHALL BE DONE.

"_There is nothing to worry about. Soon, they will be disposed of just like all the others. There is no need for any of us to be distracted from the greater cause at hand. The scout will bring us a fresh supply of energy which will be useful as we enter the next stage of our plan."_

"_We must be sure."_

"_Nothing must stand in the way of the Vele's ascension."_

"_Nothing will, I can assure you. Now, return to your tasks and prepare for the energy intake once the scout has finished with its own chore."_

* * *

"Are ye sure we're goin' the right way, Doctor?" Jamie asked.

"Of course I am," the Doctor snapped at him. "It's simply taking us a while to walk down to the valley. This path is set on a spiral which can make it seem to take longer than it actually is."

"Perhaps," the piper said. "And mebbe there jes happens to be more than one of these rock formations. All identical I might add."

"Jamie, are you trying to imply that my sense of direction is failing us?" the Doctor said with an exasperated sigh.

"Would I do that?"

"Yes!" the Doctor replied. "Now stop chattering and let me think for a moment."

The Doctor paused to study the trees around him while Jamie stood nearby and crossed his arms over his chest. One of the suns had moved from its zenith and was already starting to set, just as the Doctor had predicted. There was a drop in temperature which, combined with the heavy amount of shade, made Jamie grateful that he had made sure to wear his trews on this trip. He did start to wonder, however, if it had been a mistake to leave his jacket behind.

"Aha!" the Doctor said, clapping his hands together. "There you see, I told you."

The piper looked over in the direction where the Doctor was pointing and saw the village they had found earlier only about four miles in the distance.

"I told you we were on the right track," the Doctor said.

"But that's nae the path ye said we needed to be on," Jamie replied. "Ye said that this one would eventually spiral doon to…."

"And it would have, but as you can see, we can take this shortcut instead," the Doctor interrupted. "Now, come along, Jamie."

Jamie let out a snort, but said nothing. By this point, the piper was grateful that they would not have to pass by the same pile of craggy rocks again in the near future. The path they had diverted to was sheerer than the previous one, but there was a clear view of the village to help them keep their bearings.

They had only been walked for a few minutes when, suddenly, Jamie stopped and grabbed the Doctor's arm.

"Listen. Did ye hear that?"

"No. Can't say that I did. What was it that you heard?"

"I, I don' know," the piper said. "It was a sort of rustling sound. Like somethin' creeping along the ground."

They listened for another tense moment, both of them turning around in a circle to look for anything that could be moving toward them.

"There doesn't appear to be anything there," the Doctor said.

"I'm tellin' ye, I heard somethin'," Jamie insisted.

"Oh, I'm not saying that you didn't," the Doctor said. "But it was probably just some small animal scurrying in the underbrush. Quite honestly, I'm surprised that you haven't heard more of them before now."

"Now that ye mention it, I have nae," Jamie said. "Listen, Doctor. There's no birds or any other wee creatures around here. Nothing seems to live in this forest."

"Or the animals that do live here are simply keeping themselves well hidden," the Doctor said. "You're forgetting the tracks we found earlier. Something is here besides us."

"But those tracks looked old," Jamie said. "I don' think that whatever made them lives around here."

"Well that's good because I don't think I want to meet it," the Doctor chuckled. "Let's continue, shall we?"

Jamie nodded hesitantly and fell in step beside the Doctor. They only managed to move forward for about a minute before a loud 'snap' resonated. This time, both of them not only heard it, but had immediately stopped and grabbed each other.

"What is that?" Jamie asked, clinging to the Doctor's arms.

"I, I don't know, Jamie," the Doctor said, his voice not as steady as it was. "It could be something harmless. It could be more scared of us than we are of it."

"Right, and how often are we that lucky?" Jamie asked.

"Well, granted, hardly ever but that doesn't mean that this time…."

The rustling soon grew much louder, and they could see ripples moving through the leaves that coated the ground. The ripples eventually took on the shape of long, thin tubes that slithered toward them.

"Doctor…."

"Jamie, when I say run…."

"Och, I know. Ye don' need to tell me again, ye daft old man."

The Doctor nodded, his hand moving down to clutch Jamie's wrist.

"Run!" he shouted.

Both of them bolted away toward the village with the Doctor yanking Jamie along with all his might. However, it didn't take long for their positions to be reversed as the Doctor lost speed and the piper sprinted ahead of him.

"Come on, Doctor!" Jamie yelled over his shoulder. "It's gaining on us."

Against his better judgment, the Doctor glanced behind him to see what was pursuing them. At first, all he could discern was movement in the underbrush. Then there was a flash of silver as one of the tentacles arched upward and pointed its tip at him for a moment before sliding back to the ground. The tentacles seemed to increase in number as they raced toward them.

"Oh my word!" the Doctor yelped as he tried to run faster.

Unfortunately, his eyes were still on the snake-like forms and thus, he didn't see that he was heading for a low-lying tree branch until his head made contact. With a startled 'oof' the Doctor let go of Jamie's wrist and fell onto his back on the dirt, his hand going up to his head.

Jamie stopped and whirled around to see the Doctor sitting up with the tentacles almost upon him.

"Jamie, run!" the Doctor shouted at him. "Go on!"

"No!" the piper yelled back. "I'll nae leave ye."

The Doctor was about to bellow at him again when one tentacle shot out and wrapped itself around his throat. The Doctor clawed at the appendage as it squeezed his neck, but could not budge it. Additional tentacles leapt up and coiled around his wrists and ankles, dragging him to the ground. He struggled wildly, his mouth wide open and gasping for air.

Jamie immediately sprang into action. He yanked his dirk out of its sheath and ran toward the Doctor's prone body. The piper grabbed the tentacle that was curled around the Doctor's neck near the end and thrust his knife into it. The tentacle writhed and flayed as it let go of the Doctor before eventually becoming still. The Doctor coughed violently as he tried to take a full breath. Jamie reached for another one, but as soon as he touched it, its skin began to glow. The Scot hissed and pulled his hand away from the searing heat.

Meanwhile the Doctor screamed as the tentacles still attached to his limbs glowed and firmly held him in place. Jamie ground his jaw and gripped the nearest tentacle again, ignoring the pain that shot through his hands and arms. He hacked away at each tentacle over and over until they finally let go a few seconds later and slithered swiftly away, vanishing almost as quickly as they had appeared.

Jamie blew on his singed hands for a moment before getting up on his knees and reaching over to help the Doctor sit up.

"Doctor?!" he said. "Doctor, are ye all right?"

"Yes, yes I'm fine, Jamie," the Doctor said as he coughed a few more times. His voice was thin and shaky from lack of oxygen and his recent agony. He massaged his throat while Jamie rubbed small, soothing circles on his back. After a moment of this, however, the Doctor's expression grew dark, and he slapped Jamie's hands away.

"What did you think you were doing?" the Time Lord snapped at him. "I told you to run."

"Ye know that I could ne'er leave ye, Doctor," Jamie said with a frown. "I don' know why ye even bother tryin' to get me to do that."

"If you refuse to obey my orders, then I shall be forced to activate your time ring now," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes at him. "I cannot afford to have someone with me who won't listen and who has no concern for their own safety."

"Ye can nae do that," Jamie retorted. "Look, Doctor, I've been on lots of these CIA missions wit' ye before. I know all about how dangerous they are. It's nae like I'm nae goin' to be careful or watch out for myself. But I will _nae_ abandon ye when ye're in trouble either, so don' ask me to."

"Jamie, I won't have you risk your life for me."

"Oh aye, like ye have nae done the same for me all those times. No, Doctor, I won'…."

"You don't understand!" the Doctor roared at him. "I'm dying!"

Jamie's mouth fell open in shock as he collapsed backward onto the ground.

"Doctor…? What…what are ye….? Ye can nae…."

The Doctor squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. He hadn't meant to say that aloud, but now that it was out there, he had no choice but to explain himself.

"Jamie," he said, still not looking at him. "I'm old."

"I knew that, but I thought ye'd…."

"No, just listen," the Doctor said, cutting him off. "Don't you see? This is why Goth gave us these time rings. I've just about reached the end of this incarnation. I have a year, at most, left in me. It won't be long before I'll change and be sent to Earth while you'll be whisked back to where you came from. This form, this version of me is dying, Jamie, and there's nothing that can be done to stop it. Soon, I'll no longer exist as I am now."

Jamie remained silent, unable to find any words to say in response to the revelation that had just been given to him. A part of him had worried that the Doctor was not as well as he tried to appear, but even then he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"And I will not have you throw your life away trying to save me when my time is almost at an end anyway," the Doctor continued, finally raising his head to glare at the stunned piper. "From now on, when I tell you to run, you'll run. It's either that or I send you back to Scotland now."

"Doctor, I…."

"No, I will not brook any argument on this," the Doctor said, cutting him off. "So make your choice now, Jamie…or I will make it for you."

Jamie stared back at him for a long moment, his jaw clenched tight in anger and frustration. Years of traveling with the Doctor had given him the wisdom to know when the Doctor would not back down on a decision he had made. This was clearly one of those times.

"All right," the piper growled. "I'll do as ye say."

"Good," the Doctor said. "Now, it's not far from the village. We should get there before anything else shows up."

Jamie nodded and rose to his feet. He held out a hand to the Doctor and helped him slowly stand back up as well. They brushed a few leaves off their clothes before heading off toward the village. The piper remained silent the entire way.

Meanwhile, the Doctor's hearts were heavy. He hated being so harsh and domineering with Jamie, but he hadn't been able to help himself. The tentacles they had just fought were proof that there were beings that had not been discovered by previous visitors to Colus and that there were indeed other dangers outside the temporal distortions. Dangers that could easily eliminate a Time Lord. He winced several times as his body ached with the residuals from their assault on him. It had hurt all the way down to the cellular level.

Even worse, he suspected that these creatures were merely the servants of an even more powerful master. He had sensed an intelligence about them, a definite purpose behind their attack. Something in the back of his mind told him that there was more at work here than what the Time Lords had thought. And those thoughts filled him with a dread that he had long since learned to never ignore.

Still, he remained firm in his decision to not let Jamie sacrifice himself while on this last mission with him. He would keep the piper close to him as long as he could to give him time to make sure that Goth was no longer a threat to Jamie. However, he also would not hesitate to send Jamie away if he was left with no other way to protect him. The Doctor hoped that he would be able to make this choice while not under duress and with a clear mind and unburdened hearts.

But he doubted that it would be so simple.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Next chapter, and bit of a longer one. :) I hope my readers will enjoy.

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Six

"Chancellor Goth, I believe we have a situation."

Goth sighed as he swallowed the last of his food cube. Ever since Tevas had been placed in charge of the CIA, he had become inordinately fond of calling even the most minor crisis a 'situation'. He suspected that it was the influence of associations Tevas had made with members of the Cerulean chapter, but just managed to keep that to himself.

"Tevas, you might as well come in to see me rather than lurk outside my door like this," he said.

There was a moment of what could only be called indecision before Tevas nodded and entered. Goth wasn't entirely sure why coming into his quarters had required so much thought, but he wasn't interested enough to ask.

"Now, what is it?" he asked.

"It's the latest readings from Colus," Tevas said. "I think you should have a look at them."

Goth nodded and Tevas walked over to the monitor nearby. Goth walked over to join him, and after tapping at the console for a moment, Tevas waved a hand at the screen.

"There, you see. Look at it," Tevas said.

"Yes, this is a bit of a development," Goth said as he studied the data in front of him.

"A bit?!" Tevas spluttered. "Chancellor, the temporal flux has increased by two whole points on the Narill scale. Two!"

"A moderate increase, yes, but still well below the safety limits for the space-time continuum," Goth said. "There is no need for alarm yet."

"But what if it increases again?" Tevas said. "Chancellor, I really think we should alert the rest of the High Council about this. They could have a team ready to deal with the problem in…."

"You forget that we are dealing with the problem," Goth interrupted. "Or has the Doctor slipped your mind already?"

"Of course not," Tevas said. "But what can he do on his own? Shouldn't we have a plan in place in case he fails or if the situation gets worse?"

"You said it yourself," Goth replied. "The High Council can easily resolve the problem should it become necessary. Therefore, our plan will be to call on them at the proper moment. Until that time, there is no need to involve them. For his eccentricities, the Doctor is quite capable of handling this on his own. In fact, that is usually how he prefers it."

"I still think that…."

"Need I remind you, Tevas that the Celestial Intervention Agency depends on its ability to remain autonomous in order to ensure its existence?" Goth said. "As the Doctor so succinctly put it, we could hardly maintain a favorable power balance if the CIA were to appear dependent on the High Council. Who knows? Perhaps there would be those who might think that some restructuring might be needed at the administrative level."

"You mean, I might be replaced?" Tevas said, a tremor in his voice. "Me? But I've only just started in this position. Chancellor, you can't let it happen. There's so much more I could do."

"Don't worry, Tevas," Goth said with something approximating a smile. "I'm merely speculating on what could happen if we allow panic to dictate our course of action. For now, I suggest that you continue to monitor these readings and let the Doctor do his job."

"Yes, yes, I will Chancellor. I will," Tevas said. "But…there is one other thing."

"Yes?"

"The Tellurian's time ring," Tevas said. "The technician monitoring it said that it is no longer sending back any readings. She ran a portable diagnostic and is certain that there is a systems failure with the device."

"What about the transportation and time coordinate elements?" Goth asked.

"They seem to be intact, but only from our end," Tevas answered.

"So we can send the Tellurian back to the time coordinates the Doctor selected if needed," Goth mused. "But the Doctor cannot activate the time ring himself. Nor will the device give any of us any data on the Tellurian's current condition."

"That is the situation, yes," Tevas said. "Chancellor, we both knew that this could happen. The technician who calibrated the time rings tried to compensate as best he could, but given the circumstances…."

"Yes, I know," Goth said. "It was calculated risk, but a large one just the same. However, I don't think we have anything to worry about. I believe I know the Doctor well enough to know that he won't try to send the Tellurian away. Not even if the situation on Colus does become more hazardous."

"But I thought you said that he is fond of these creatures and is always looking to protect them," Tevas said. "Why would he deliberately put this Tellurian in harm's way if he cares so much for him?"

"Because, Tevas, as strong as the Doctor's desire to protect them is, it cannot overcome his even stronger need to not be alone," Goth replied. "He is thoroughly convinced of his ability to keep them safe. It's a fiction that keeps his conscience clear. No Tevas, the Doctor will find some rational to keep the Tellurian with him, so it's doubtful that he will ever discover the malfunction."

"But the health monitor," Tevas said. "Won't he notice that?"

"He might," Goth said thoughtfully. "But I have some contingencies in mind for that depending on how this mission turns out."

"I suppose it's rather silly, isn't it?" Tevas said, forcing himself to smile. "The two of us so nervous about how a lowly renegade might react. I mean, really, what is there to be afraid of?"

Tevas let out a laugh that was abruptly halted by the look in Goth's eyes.

"Tevas, this is why you will never advance beyond what others allow," Goth said gravely. "You cannot recognize your own peril, even when it surrounds you."

"Chancellor, are you saying that you are afraid of the Doctor?" Tevas said peevishly.

"I'm saying that is far from the harmless little renegade you seem to think he is," Goth replied. "And if you value your position and your existence, you will be cautious in your dealings with him."

Tevas still did not look convinced, but Goth no longer cared. He had given Tevas a warning. It was up to him to heed it or not. Goth knew that he would miss having such a malleable puppet as his disposal within the CIA. However, he was not fool enough to get too attached. There would always be others.

"Anyway, we have the matter well in hand," Goth said. "For now, we wait."

Tevas made a few more noises of indignation, but Goth was only partially listening. He could not shake the feeling that there was something, something he was missing. For a Prydonian, it was the worst sort of feeling.

A few minutes later, Tevas finally left, and Goth spent the rest of the day following the threads of his own suspicions.

* * *

"_Scout, why have you failed to bring us the temporal energy you were to harvest?"_

ALIEN SUBJECTS PRESENTED UNFORESEEN DIFFICULTIES. THEIR COMBATIVE CAPABILITIES WERE INCONGRUOUS WITH THEIR ESTIMATED BIOLOGICAL AGE. SEVERAL UNITS SUFFERED MINOR TO SEVERE DAMAGE.

"_I see. Were you able to gather any data about these aliens during your attempt to harvest?"_

SUBJECTS ARE AT AN EVEN MORE ADVANCED MATURITY THAN PREVIOUSLY ESTIMATED.

INITIAL SCANS SHOW THAT ONE SUBJECT HAS LIVED FAR LONGER THAN TO BE EXPECTED GIVEN ITS GENETIC POTENTIALITIES. CAUSE FOR THIS IS UNKNOWN.

THE OTHER IS OF THE SAME RACE AS THE THREE OTHER SUBJECTS THAT ARRIVED IN TIME-SPACE CRAFTS. CELL STRUCTURE SHOWS UNIQUIE AFFINITY WITH TEMPORAL ENERGIES. IT ALSO HAS THE SAME GENETIC PROPERTIES WHICH APPEAR TO BE TRANSIENT IN NATURE.

INITIAL HYPOTHESIS: THIS TRANSIENCE ALLOWS SUBJECT TO EVADE BOTH FATAL INJURY AND THE DECLINE OF AGE THROUGH TRANSFORMATION.

"_What are these creatures?"_

"_Why have they come here?"_

"_Have they discovered the same secrets we have?"_

"_Perhaps they have been enhanced in some way?"_

"_Enough! Scout, continue with your report."_

INSUFFICIENT DATA TO DETERMINE IF ARTIFICAL ENHANCEMENT HAS OCCURRED.

PREVIOUS ASSESSMENT OF AGE-RELATED DISEASE HAS BEEN CONFIRMED FOR ONE SUBJECT. THE OTHER ONE IS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF CELLULAR DESTABILIZATION.

RATE OF DESTABILIZATION UNKNOWN DUE TO INSUFFICIENT DATA.

CAUSE OF DESTABILIZATION ALSO UNKNOWN.

INITIAL SCAN SHOWS HIGHER TEMPORAL ENERGY LEVELS THAN ANY PREVIOUS SUBJECTS THAT HAVE BEEN HARVESTED. ACCESSIBILITY TO TEMPORAL ENERGY STORES EXPECTED TO INCREASE AS CELLULAR DEGENERATION PROGRESSES.

"_Those numbers! We couldn't draw that much of a reserve if we drained every last Tela on the planet."_

"_We must have this energy for our plans. We must. It is more than enough to fuel these last crucial steps."_

"_And we shall have it. We shall. As you can see, the Scout has shown that these creatures are reaching the end of their life cycles, despite the unnatural strength they currently possess. Now, is the time for strategy. We shall draw them to us. To our sanctuary. Here, we shall have the upper hand."_

"_And once they are in our grasp, nothing will be able to stop us from realizing our destiny."_

* * *

"I say, I wonder where everyone is," the Doctor asked as he approached the edge of the village.

Jamie shrugged and followed the Doctor along the empty byways. All around them were houses with ivory walls and dark green roofs. The doors and shutters were all closed. The walkways were covered with powdery dirt, most of the grass having worn away. Bell-shaped flowers of blue, purple, and red bowed along the walls of the cottages. The lack of debris in the streets and the conditions of the houses suggested that there were people in them recently, but none could be found.

"Mebbe they're nae as friendly as everyone thinks they are," the piper offered.

Startled, the Doctor looked over at Jamie. This was the first time he had said anything ever since they were attacked, and it was no small relief to the Doctor that the piper was speaking to him again.

"It's possible, Jamie," he said. "Then again, perhaps they are wary of the same things that attacked us."

"Aye, and I would nae blame them," the piper said. "Nasty beasties. What were they, Doctor?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "But I don't think they're native to this planet."

"An invasion then."

"Yes, yes that's quite possible. If only we knew what they were here for. That could narrow down the list of potential suspects."

"Ah," Jamie nodded. "I don' know how much ye'll get out of this lot though. They don' seem tae eager to put up wit' strangers."

"They're probably just scared," the Doctor said. "So all we have to do is convince them that we pose no threat."

The Doctor moved to the center of the village and cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hello!" he shouted. "My friend and I are travelers. We mean you no harm. In fact, we'd like to help, if we can."

The Doctor let his hands fall to his side and waited for a response. A minute passed silently, and the Doctor was about to call out again when Jamie touched his arm. He turned to see several men walking toward them with long wooden staffs in their hands.

"Hello," the Doctor beamed at them. "How do you do? I'm the Doctor and this is Jamie. I must say, I'm relieved to see some people here at last."

"You say you are visitors?" one of the men said. "From the stars."

"Yes," the Doctor nodded. "Friendly ones, I can assure you."

"And you are not one of the Vele?" another one asked.

"Vele?" the Doctor echoed. "Oh no, certainly not. I'm afraid we don't even know who these Vele are. Tell me, could they have been the ones who assaulted us on the way here?"

The men murmured among themselves for a moment before turning their attention back toward the Doctor and Jamie.

"You've seen the Vele?" one of them asked.

"Well, we saw something," the Doctor answered. "It was in the forest. A bunch of long, silver tentacles with knobs covering the sides of them."

"Aye, they were tearin' across the ground," Jamie added. "Fast and powerful."

The men looked to each other and nodded, lowering their staffs. Soon, women and children began to peek out of windows and cautiously creep out of the cottages.

"What you saw were the servants of the Vele," one of the men said. "And they have attacked us many times of late. You are very fortunate to have escaped with your lives."

"Many of our people have been killed by the Vele's servants," another man said. "Or they were taken."

"Taken?" the Doctor inquired.

"To the Vele's sanctuary," the first man said. "None of us have seen it, but we know it lies at the heart of the jungle several miles from our village. Those who are taken are never seen again."

"I see," the Doctor said solemnly. "And you say these creatures are being controlled by the Vele?"

"They were crafted by the Vele to carry out their orders," the first man continued. "It is the essence of the Vele that gives these vessels life."

"Do ye know where they come from?" Jamie asked. "Or what they want?"

"The Vele are from Colus, just as we, the Tela, are," the man replied. "As to what they want…no one among us knows."

A small boy walked up to the Doctor and stared long and hard at his face. The Doctor smiled back, but was disappointed when he was met with a glare.

"Kiela," the boy said. "Are you sure we can trust these strangers? They said they were attacked by the Vele, but how did they manage to escape?"

"Hey, it was nae easy, ye know," Jamie scowled.

"Relax," Kiela said. "I am sure they are honest in their motives. After all, you were the one who taught me to look into a man's eyes to see into his heart. Don't you agree with my belief in him?"

"Yes," the boy said. "But be careful, Kiela. Your mother would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to you because you chose to trust the wrong people."

The boy walked away while Kiela shook his head.

"I'm sorry, he's usually more sociable than this," he said. "But recently, he lost a friend while they were on patrols against the Vele. Since then, he's been worried about his family. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Kiela. And that there is Abasul, Bram, Taros, Matopel, and Emay."

The other men nodded at the Doctor and Jamie and held out their hands to shake.

"How do you do?" the Doctor said again. "It's very nice to meet all of you."

"Aye," Jamie concurred. "Say Kiela, that bairn we jes saw."

"Munro," Kiela said.

"Aye, Munro," Jamie said. "He's yer son, then?"

"Munro is my father," Kiela answered.

"Yer father?" Jamie goggled. "But…but how…?"

"Kiela!" a voice shouted from the distance. "It's the Vele. Their servants are advancing in through the back of the village."

Gasps and cries of surprise rippled through the crowd of people. Men and women grabbed children's hands and scooped them up in their arms before spinning about in a circle, unsure of where to go.

"Abasul, we must get the women and children to somewhere safe," Kiela said.

"What aboot that house there?" Jamie said, pointing at one of the larger cottages. "'Tis at the center of yer village and we could defend it from all sides."

"Good idea," Kiela said. "Bram, Taros, gather up everyone who isn't fighting into the Elder's house. We'll stand our ground here."

"Right," Bram said before he and Taros ran off. The Doctor grabbed Jamie's arm and pulled him aside.

"Jamie, I want you to stay in that cottage with the women and children," he said. "Help those men keep them safe."

"No Doctor," Jamie said scowling. "I'll nae leave ye here to face those Vele beasties alone."

"I won't be alone," the Doctor insisted. "Kiela and his men will be out here with me. And I need a chance to find out more about these Vele."

"But Doctor…."

"Jamie, you heard what I said," the Doctor replied, cutting him off. "Now, do as I say and no more arguments. Or will I have to make good on my promise to send you back?"

Jamie glowered at him even more, but soon nodded his assent before running to help Bram and Taros. The Doctor followed Kiela as he arranged his men to surround the area.

"Do you have any weapons to use against these creatures?" the Doctor asked him.

"None, but these," Kiela responded, holding up his staff. "But don't worry. These work well enough."

Soon, Jamie, Bram and Taros gathered all the women and children into the cottage and shut the doors behind them. Kiela and the rest of the men stood ready at various positions around the center square with the Doctor standing next to Kiela. Seconds after that, a wave of silver tentacles glided toward them.

"Strike now!" Kiela shouted. "Don't let them get a hold of you!"

The men flew into action. They struck the appendages with their staffs over and over again. Occasionally, some of the tentacles would try to wrap themselves around one of the men's limbs, but others would immediately attack until they let go. A sharp snapping sound filled the air as the tentacles arched up and tried to belt them from above.

In the midst of this chaos, the Doctor darted and leapt about as he dodged the tentacles. As he weaved his way around, he noticed that the staffs did indeed have a satisfying effect of repelling the tentacles whenever they were struck. He also noticed that they started to glow whenever they were able to hold onto one of the men for more than a few seconds.

Eventually, the tentacles began to retreat. However, a few of them went from attacking the men to battering against the house where Jamie, Bram and Taros had herded all the women and children. The wood creaked and groaned against the strain.

"They're going after the cottage!" the Doctor yelled at Kiela.

Kiela ordered his men to fall back and defend the house. The villagers swarmed the cottage, violently beating the tentacles that were hitting it. The pounding continued on both sides for several minutes before the tentacles finally recoiled away and slithered toward the outskirts of the village. Most of the men followed the appendages, fighting them all the way out of the village.

Meanwhile, Kiela and the Doctor stayed where they were and checked on a couple of men who were wounded in the fight. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt.

"Their attacks grow bolder all the time," Kiela panted, the exertion finally showing. "Now you see why the Tela so wary, Doctor. The Vele mean to wipe us out."

"I can see that, yes," the Doctor nodded. "But why? You said that they were from Colus. Have they given you problems in the past?"

"No," Kiela said. "For a long time, the Vele only existed as a legend among the Tela. We do not know why they have turned against us."

"Strange," the Doctor muttered as he looked around.

"Doctor, I don't know much about the Vele," Kiela said. "The same is true for most of the people here. You should talk to the Elder."

"Yes, I heard you mention him earlier," the Doctor said. "Who is this Elder? Is he your leader?"

"In a manner of speaking yes," Kiela said. "He alone is untouched by the uncertainties of time on Colus. He advises us on important matters and knows far more about the history of the Tela and the Vele than anyone else here. Right now, he is at a retreat, praying to our gods, but he will be back before nightfall. I could arrange a meeting."

"Oh yes, I would very much like to meet the Elder," the Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Kiela."

The women and children filed out of the Elder's home and gathered around the men. A few moments later, Emay ran up to Kiela.

"They're gone," he said between deep breaths. "The Vele have retreated into the woods."

"Good," Kiela said. "Hopefully, that is all we'll see of them for now."

Soon the rest of the villagers exited the house with Jamie being the last to come out. As the crowd dispersed, the piper slowly started to make his way toward the Doctor.

Suddenly, a noise that sounded like slow cracking filled the air. Everyone glanced around, trying to figure out where it was coming from. It was the Doctor who discovered the source when he noticed the Elder's cottage shifting slightly to the side.

"Quick! Move away!" he bellowed. "It's going to collapse."

The villagers scattered, running in any direction that would take them away from the house. The result of this mad dash was two children getting knocked to the ground. One of the faces of the house tilted toward them, the children crying and covering their heads with their hands.

The Doctor tried to push his way through the crowd, but Jamie was faster. The piper managed to get the kids back onto their feet and shove them to the side out of danger. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough to get away before the cottage wall fell onto him, burying him under a pile of wooden panels and supporting logs.

"Jamie!" the Doctor yelled as he rushed over toward him.

The cottage had fallen apart completely. The roof had burst into numerous pieces which encircled the wreckage. Clouds of dust were settling around the impact points of the larger portions of timber. The Doctor stared at this heap for only a moment before scrambling to move bits of the ruined cottage aside.

"We've got to get him out of there," he insisted.

Kiela and several of the men joined the Doctor in yanking the rubble away. Working furiously, it wasn't long before they found one of Jamie's arms underneath a section of the wall that had been facing him. The Doctor's hearts lurched at how still it was. He worked even faster and encouraged others to do the same while making sure not to jar the rest of the debris too much lest it crash into the piper again.

Several long moments later, they were able to extract Jamie from the remains of the cottage. The Doctor carried him away from the rest of the wreckage and gingerly laid him onto the ground. The Scot was unconscious with a gash along his temple staining the white hair near the wound a rusty red. The Doctor gently patted Jamie's face, but got no response.

"Jamie?" he said as he kept trying to coax him awake. "Jamie, can you hear me?"

After a couple more seconds of failing to rouse the piper, the Doctor bent down and pressed his ear against Jamie's chest. Terror chilled his insides when he detected no heartbeat or breathing. He lifted his head and shook Jamie's shoulder, desperate for any kind of reaction. Then the Doctor grabbed his wrist and searched for a pulse.

"Jamie," he murmured, his voice trembling. "Jamie, please. Wake up."

The Doctor placed Jamie's arm back onto the ground and put his head back onto the piper's chest, hoping that he had simply missed the signs of life he prayed he would find. A few agonizing seconds later, the Doctor felt his head rise slightly as Jamie seemed to start breathing again. Not long after that, the piper let out a soft groan and began to stir.

"Jamie," the Doctor said as he sat back up. "Jamie, can you open your eyes?"

"Och, do I have to, Doctor?" Jamie moaned.

The Doctor let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob of relief. He pulled out the handkerchief from his breast pocket and dabbed at the wound on the Scot's head while trying to blink back the wetness in his eyes.

"No, not necessarily," he said. "But you'll have to open them eventually, so you might as well try now."

Jamie groaned again, but was able to pry his eyes open. He put a hand to his head as the Doctor helped him sit up, surprise evident in his features at the stickiness he felt there.

"Och my head," Jamie said.

"It hurts?" the Doctor said as he wiped away some more blood.

"No, nothing hurts. It's jes…I jes feel so dizzy," Jamie said. "And it's so hot. Why is it so hot all the sudden?"

The piper tried to stand up, but the Doctor held him firmly in place while he checked for any other injuries.

"You were very lucky, my friend," Kiela said to Jamie. "And very brave to save those children whose families are strangers to you."

"Thank ye, but it was nae anything anyone else would have done," Jamie said. "Come on, Doctor, will ye let me up now?"

The Doctor coughed and grinned as he patted Jamie's back. He knew that he was fussing over Jamie far more than the piper would want, but he couldn't help himself. He was just grateful that Jamie could still complain about such things.

"All right, but you need to take it easy until we know for sure if you're all right," the Doctor said. "Kiela, is there somewhere my friend could rest?"

"Certainly," Kiela said. "We have a cottage set aside for visitors only a few houses away. Let me take you to it."

"Thank you," the Doctor said as he helped the piper to his feet. He kept his arm around Jamie's waist as he guided him to follow Kiela. The piper leaned heavily against him as they walked with the Doctor gladly offering his support. He continued to replay the moment when he watched the cottage fall onto Jamie over and over in his mind. The more rational part of his brain insisted that this was a warning that he should get Jamie away from this place before something even worse happened. But that idea was swiftly brushed aside as the memory of how he felt when he thought that he would never see Jamie alive again crested inside him.

The Doctor gripped Jamie's arm a little tighter. As much as he had tried to deny the truth that was in front of him since this mission began, the Doctor was now forced to face the fact that he couldn't bear to lose the piper again. Not in these last dark hours of this incarnation's life. No matter what happened next, he would keep Jamie by his side for as long as he could.

He would just have to hope that his hearts were preventing a mistake rather than making one.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: Next chapter. This one came out kind of fast. :) For those who follow my other fic too, I hope to update some of those some time this week.

I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters.

Thank you to everyone who is reading/following/favoriting/reviewing this. It is always appreciated.

Chapter Seven

_-My dear family,_

_If you are reading this letter, it means that I've disappeared and haven't returned for a long time. If so, then I should tell you that you'll probably never see me again. I'm sorry that I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to all of you in person. Know that I love every one of you and that each of you have brought honor to the name McCrimmon. _

_As for me, don't worry. I'm sure you all remember my dear friend, the Doctor. He has visited us many times over the years and has watched you grow into fine lads and lasses. If I have not returned, it's because I've decided to remain with him. He's not as lucky as I was to have a family to watch over and to take care of him in return. So, it falls to me to look after him. It's a duty I take on willingly and joyfully. My only regret is that I know that I'm reaching the twilight of my years, and I'm not sure how much longer I can stay with him. _

_I know you'll miss me just as much as I'll miss every one of you. But please don't be sad. Just as I know that you are happy in the lives that you have built for yourselves, you should know that I am happy where I am: accompanying the Doctor on his travels to worlds beyond most people's ken. He is my anam cara and I am his. And there is no place I would rather be than at his side while I take my final journeys in this life. _

_Farewell and may God watch over you all._

_-__Transcript of a letter found in the home of piper, James Robert McCrimmon._

* * *

_Jamie McCrimmon's dreams were made of fire._

_There were no flames or smoke, but the heat and intensity of fire were there just the same. This white-hot heat raced through his arteries and veins, boiling his blood. The fire burned in his brain, shutting down all rational thought. Only terror and wave after wave of agony remained. A primal panic overtook him and he tried to run, tried to escape the pain. But he could not move. Cold metal bands bound him hand and foot, immobilizing him._

'_Doctor! Doctor, please! Please help me! Make it stop, please!'_

"_Life-signs are fluctuating. Heartbeat has become erratic."_

"_Breathing has stopped. Life-signs fading."_

"_Increase the energy levels. Injection to maximum."_

"_We can't do that! The energy surge will kill this Tellurian."_

"_He's already dead if we don't do anything. Do as I say. Increase energy volume. Short-burst intervals."_

'_No…no don'! Ye're killin' me. My body…no…I, I'm burnin'! I'm burnin'!'_

_If Jamie could have screamed out loud, he would have. Instead every muscle, every tissue in his body screamed silently. A chorus of fear that this pain would never end._

"_Life-signs have stopped. We have failed."_

"_No, no look, heartbeat is returning. Breathing has resumed. Continue cellular injection. Slow regular intervals."_

"_Won't that be painful?"_

"_It might be. But it's better than death."_

"_Besides, it's not as if he'll remember any of this anyway."_

* * *

Jamie awoke with a hoarse cry, bolting upright. His breaths came out in short gasps, and when he put a hand to his face, he felt a mixture of sweat and tears running down his face.

'_That dream…It was so real. Like a memory or a…or….'_

Jamie's brow crinkled. Details of the dream had already slipped away and the feelings that accompanied it were fading almost as fast. He tried to hold onto it, but it wasn't long until he was left with only a vague feeling of dread and the notion that he had forgotten something important.

The piper let out a sigh and rubbed his face. The mystery in his own mind nagged at him, but there were also plenty of other things to worry about. First and foremost, the problem of these Vele people and the terrible creatures they were using to attack the villagers. Jamie cautiously felt around the bandage that had been applied to his head as he thought about the battle earlier.

'_They're nae like other beasties me and the Doctor have put up wit' in the past. They're, they're more like machines. Machines following orders. But they feel alive enough. When I tried to pull that one oof the Doctor, it was like grabbing fire.'_

Jamie blinked hard. Something about that choice of words struck a note of familiarity with him. The Doctor had told him about the concept of déjà vu and it seemed particularly apt here. Still, as curious as it was, it only got in the way of the matters at hand.

The Scot ran a hand through damp hair and stretched his limbs. He wasn't sure how long he had been sleeping, but he noted that the remaining sun in the sky was close to setting. Jamie figured that it could have been hours. But then he remembered the Doctor's comments about how time ran in all sorts of directions on this planet, making it impossible to know for sure. He glanced around the room and discovered that he was alone.

Jamie yawned and swung his legs off the pile of cushions he had been resting on. He remembered the Doctor cradling him and stroking his hair as he drifted off the sleep. Jamie hadn't been entirely keen on being treated like a bairn, but the gestures did seem to ease the worry etched into every wrinkle on the little Time Lord's face. Jamie knew that the Doctor was always concerned over his safety. Still, something about the way he was mollycoddling him this time was unusual.

It was then that Jamie recalled what the Doctor had said about how he was dying.

A lump formed in the piper's throat. He had never considered the possibility that the Doctor might pass on before him. Granted, it was not as if he would be gone forever. Jamie had plenty of happy memories of traveling for a few years with one of the Doctor's later selves. Thus, he knew that his friend would continue on in different forms. However, it did mean that the Doctor he had known and loved first would be gone soon. It was a terrible prospect to think about.

His heart weighed down with concern, Jamie decided to go find the Doctor. He had just gotten to his feet when Kiela appeared in the room with a large tray of food and drink in his hands.

"You're awake. That is good," he said. "I hope you are feeling better."

"Aye, I am," Jamie said. "And if that's for us, thank ye. I'm fare famished."

"It's the least we can do for your and the Doctor's kindness to the Tela," Kiela said.

"Do ye know where the Doctor is?"

"Yes, he's sitting near the temple at the edge of our village," Kiela replied. "I told him that the Elder has returned and would see him, but not until tomorrow morning. The Elder is very tired from his journey and is staying with my family tonight while some of the men work on rebuilding his home."

"Jes point me in the right direction, and I'll go find him," Jamie nodded. "Has he eaten already?"

"No, your friend has had nothing," Kiela said. "We tried to offer him some earlier while you were asleep, but he insisted that he did not have time to eat. Perhaps it would be best if you were to go to him. He seemed very troubled."

"Well, I know the Doctor," Jamie said. "Right now, he's tryin' figure this whole thing wit' those Vele out. And all this weirdness wit' time around here tae. He gets so wrapped up in usin' that big brain of his, he forgets aboot everything else."

"I see," Kiela said. "You seem to know him well. You two must be close."

"Ah well, we've been through a lot together," Jamie said, scratching the back of his head. "Here, let me take this from ye."

Jamie lifted the tray from Kiela's arms and sat it down on a nearby table before following him out of the cottage. Once they were outside, Kiela walked a short distance away and pointed toward the eastern edge of the village.

"Walk along this path until you see an old stone well," he said. "Then go left down the side path there and you'll reach the temple at the end of the road. You'll know it by the gold etchings on the doors."

"Right, thank ye," Jamie said before heading off. He walked for a few minutes until he found the Doctor sitting on the ground off to the side in front of the temple, playing a somber tune on his recorder.

"There ye are," he said as he moved toward the Doctor. "Kiela gave us some food."

The music stopped, and the Doctor looked up at him with a combination of confusion and astonishment. As if he was surprised to see the piper standing there. It quickly passed and was replaced with a wan smile.

"Oh yes, thank you, Jamie," he said as he stuffed his recorder into the cummerbund around his waist.

Jamie nodded and held out a hand to help the Doctor to his feet. The two of them walked silently back to the guest cottage and quickly ate the meal Kiela had given them. By the time they were done, the cottage had become dark, so Jamie lit a fire in the fireplace. Then they gathered some cushions in front of the fire and sat down.

"How is your head?" he asked, reaching over to examine the makeshift bandage.

"'Tis all right," Jamie said. "It's does nae hurt. And I'm nae even dizzy now."

"Good," the Doctor said, prodding gently at various points on Jamie's abdomen. "And there are no other aches or pains. Not even as I do this."

"No," Jamie said. "Och will ye come oof that Doctor. I said I was all right. It was jes a wee crack on the head. I'm fine now."

"Yes," the Doctor said distractedly. "But you were very lucky, you know. You could have been killed. Or seriously injured at any rate."

"But it dinna happen so there's no use worryin' aboot it now," Jamie insisted.

The Doctor looked as if he might say something else, but ended up scowling instead. Jamie shifted the cushions so he could get into a more comfortable position before speaking again.

"Look Doctor, I know ye're worried aboot me being here and aboot what might happen," he said. "But ye know ye cannae dwell on it. It's nae the first time we've been in dangerous situations."

"I know," the Doctor sighed. "I know that Jamie, but you don't understand. I…."

The Doctor turned his gaze to the fire. The light danced in eyes that shined too bright.

"I've seen you die, Jamie," he said quietly. "More than once."

Jamie blinked hard. Of all the possible statements and arguments the Doctor could have said next, the piper had definitely not expected that.

"Doctor? Ye mean, ye mean ye've…."

"I still remember the first time," the Doctor continued, still staring at the flames. "During that whole mess with the Chameleons. One of them had copied you. He didn't want to cooperate with me…and so he was shot down by his fellow crew members for his treachery."

"Eh? Wait a minute," Jamie said. "So _that's_ what ye meant when ye said ye were happy to see me alive again after that was all over. I remember now. Ye said ye'd tell me aboot it later, but ye ne'er did. But Doctor, that was nae me."

"No," the Doctor said. "Nor was that phantom I saw in the Death Zone. Oh Jamie, for a moment, I, I was so sure it was you…and then you faded away, screaming."

"But ye jes said that it was nae real, right?" the piper countered. "Those were jes tricks that some nasty people tried to use on ye."

"Not…not all of them, Jamie," the Doctor said. "There was an incident recently. Another CIA mission on a planet we visited before. Dylius."

"Dylius, oh aye, I remember that," Jamie nodded. "The Time Lords wanted us to check on their computers or something."

"Yes, and then recently they sent me back to destroy those same computers," the Doctor said. "But what I found…oh Jamie, what I found was you. Somehow they had gotten hold of some of your cells and had made a clone of you."

Jamie felt his stomach turn. The Doctor had explaining cloning to him a long time ago during a CIA mission that they had carried out not long after they had reunited. At first, the piper had thought that they were not real people, only living dolls that looked like someone else. Over time, the Doctor helped him see that clones were every bit as alive as the people they were copied from. The dark tone in the Doctor's voice told Jamie that this clone of him probably did not have a peaceful existence.

"What happened to him?" Jamie said in a near whisper.

"He died," the Doctor murmured. "As you know, clones don't tend to live very long. He had become old and was at the end of his life. He…he looked much like you do now, actually. I took him back to Scotland and he quietly passed away while watching the sun rise out on the moors."

"Thank ye, Doctor," Jamie said, his voice thick with unshed tears. "I know that that being there wit' ye…it would have given him so much comfort."

"Don't you see, Jamie, all those times, all those times I watched you die, I can't go through it again," the Doctor said dolefully. "But I…I…."

Jamie swallowed hard. He could blithely promise to make sure to not let it happen, but he also knew that he'd be lying. For a long minute, he had no idea what to say. This was a subject that had come up many times before. It was never pleasant or ever truly resolved, but both of them had been forced to live with the awareness that this would happen someday. The piper thought that he would have to say things and bring in arguments that he had used many times before.

Then inspiration struck him, and Jamie decided to follow a hunch.

"Doctor," he said softly. "Are ye scared? Aboot dyin'?"

The Doctor shuddered and finally looked over at him, a look of surprise and horror on his face.

"Jamie, I, no, no not exactly," he stammered. "I'll regenerate and be exiled to Earth. And I already know that I'll live on and change more times in the future. I also know that you're aware of that too."

"Aye," Jamie said. "And by the way, yer later self wanted me to tell ye thank ye for making it possible for him to hold back the Valeyard."

"Oh that," the Doctor said. "That was nothing much. I'm sure it was mostly him anyway. He never did seem to understand just how strong his hearts really were."

"Aye, 'tis true," Jamie said again, his tone somber. "He was hurtin' for a long time. But I think he finally found peace."

"And that, I'm sure, was in some part thanks to you," the Doctor said with a slight smile. "Anyway, back to the point, it's not as if I will actually die, Jamie. The Time Lords are sure to pull me back in my proper place in my time-stream so I can change again and serve the rest of my sentence."

"I know," Jamie replied. "But like ye said, this ye, the ye that ye are now…ye'll be gone, won' ye? Doctor, what will happen to ye?"

"It's…difficult to explain, Jamie," the Doctor said. "As you know, I'm the second self, so I have memories of the regeneration where I became the person you met all those years ago. As for the original Doctor, well, a lot of him is in me. I still have his knowledge, his memories, and his personality traits, albeit in a very different combination."

Jamie scooted over closer to the Doctor, who had leaned back against the back of a chair.

"Still, even though I am him, I remember that while I was changing, there was this…loss," the Doctor continued. "I could feel him fade away. It was as if he was a separate person who was departing as I came into being. I'm not sure how else to describe it."

"I think I get it," Jamie said. "It was like part of that ye was taken into this ye while that ye as a whole passed on to wherever 'tis Time Lords go."

"Yes, that is basically it," the Doctor said. "That me is gone. And soon, I will also fade away. Oh. I still remember when I was taking shape how much my original self wanted to be free. To roam about the universe exploring and learning without the burden of Time Lord society and its imprint on me. And here I ended up working for centuries for them."

The Doctor bowed his head, his expression downcast again.

"I wonder how much of me will be in that dandy," he added. "Or any of them really. The Time Lords have done so much fiddling with my mind and my place in our time-line…I might be nothing more than a few scraps of knowledge and of memories, most of which they'd rather forget. I'll disappear…and it will be as if I never really existed."

Tears shined in the piper's eyes as he walked over on his knees and put his hands onto the Doctor's shoulders.

"No Doctor, I cannae believe that," he said. "Even if ye don' remember a lot of things, yer other selves still have some memories of ye. I know it from travelin' wit' a later ye. And even if I had nae done so, I still would nae believe it. Me, and Victoria, Ben and Polly, and Zoe…you exist to us. Always to us. Ye may go to some other place, but ye will nae fade away to nothing."

Jamie gripped the Doctor's shoulders tighter and leaned against him.

"Doctor, it's all right to be afraid," he said. "Even Time Lords cannae know everything and ye're gettin' close to something that everyone questions. Death is weighing on yer mind and hearts. But I want ye to know that, whatever happens when yer hour comes, ye won' be alone. I'll be here wit' ye."

The Scot had hoped that his reassurances would lift the Doctor's spirits. Thus, he was dismayed when instead, the Doctor's shoulders hitched and a pair of tears ran down his face.

"Jamie," he said, his voice cracking. "Jamie, I wanted so much more for you. There were so many more things I wished I could show you, so many experiences I wish you could have had. Instead I let you become one of the CIA's puppets. I dragged you into their dirty business, putting your life in peril so many times. Jamie, I, I wanted you to have a better life. Instead I…I couldn't stop myself, I…."

The piper sniffed hard and drew the Doctor closer to him. He had never heard the Doctor sound so broken and defeated, and it was scaring him. It was clear to him now that it wasn't just dying that the Doctor feared. It was also the fear that he had squandered his life and the life of his friend. For a moment, Jamie was paralyzed with uncertainty of what to say and do. However, his determination to help his friend won out over his fear. And he knew what he needed to say.

"No Doctor, listen to me," he insisted with as much kindness and steel as he could muster. "Ye'll nae apologize for the life I've lived and that's final. Ye hear me?"

Jamie swallowed hard and started to rub circles on the Doctor's back.

"What are ye thinking, ye daft old man?" he continued. "Don' ye remember that ye saved my life when we met? I've been brought down by a Redcoat bullet or hangin' at the end of one of their ropes if it were nae for ye. I would nae have even had a life if I had nae met ye."

The tears had dried on the Doctor's face, and Jamie hoped that he was starting to get through as he pressed on.

"And ye dinna stop there," he added. "Ye took me wit' ye on the TARDIS. Och, I know it was Polly who suggested it, but ye could have said no. Ye took me wit' ye, but ye dinna jes leave me to fend for myself. Ye took the time to teach me. Ye taught me to read, to learn, to think in ways I'd ne'er thought of before. Ye opened up my mind. And then ye opened up all of time and space to me. I've seen things I could nae have imagined in my dreams. All those terrible and beautiful things…and ye're the one who showed them to me. Doctor, ye gave me the universe. How many people can say that?"

The piper paused to take a deep breath, secretly pleased that the Doctor had finally lifted his head to look at him.

"I'm nae sayin' that there were ne'er any bad times," Jamie said. "Aye, hard times tae. But that's part of life, no matter where ye are. Even so, there have been so many more good times: traveling wit' ye, meeting all sorts of folk and making friends. Doctor, if it had nae been for ye, I would have ne'er met my wife, had all those bairns or seen my grandchildren be born. Ye gave me a life in time and space and then another one in Scotland. I've lived more than most men ever could."

Jamie moved in front of the Doctor so he could look him in the eye while also placing his hands firmly on his upper arms.

"But more than any of that, ye gave me something else," he said. "Ye gave me yer friendship. And a finer and truer friend no man could ever have. And I will nae have ye say ye're sorry for all the things that have meant the world and more to me."

The Scot patted the Doctor's arms and fell silent to give his words time to sink in. However, it wasn't long before the Doctor's eyes brightened and he let out a rueful chuckle.

"Jamie…oh Jamie, I've been a fool."

"Aye, but no more than usual."

"Yes, well I suppose I deserve that," the Doctor said with another laugh. "I've been letting my fear cloud my mind and my judgment."

"'Like I said, 'tis understandable," Jamie nodded. "Doctor, I know ye ne'er like talking aboot it, but we both know that we're reaching the end of our time in this world. I know ye're wantin' to hold it oof as long as possible, but eventually that becomes more like dying than living. And we've no time for that."

Jamie clasped the Doctor's shoulder again.

"All I'm sayin' is that whatever time we have left, let's nae fear it," he said. "Let's enjoy it. Together. No matter what it might turn out to be."

The Doctor finally grinned and reached up to put his hand onto Jamie's.

"Together," he repeated. "All right, Jamie. All right."

"Right, well, thank goodness for that," Jamie said. "I was starting to think that ye'd ne'er stop yer mad jabbering."

"Jamie, sometimes I wonder why I put up with so much of this from you," the Doctor said with a dramatic sigh.

"'Cause ye're smart enough to know that ye need someone around who'll talk some sense into ye when ye need it," Jamie smirked.

"Quite," the Doctor said.

Then he laughed again and drew Jamie into an embrace which was immediately reciprocated.

"Jamie, you, you should probably get some more sleep," the Doctor said, still holding onto him. "And I will…I'll…Oh, oh I'm so…tired…so tired, Jamie…."

The piper felt the Doctor slump against him as sheer exhaustion settled in. Jamie gently shifted the Doctor down so he would lie sideways across his lap with his head against his chest. Then he lowered himself down to lie down onto his side on the cushions, his arm still draped over the Doctor's shoulders.

"Ye get some rest then," Jamie said. "And I'll stay here wit' ye and get some tae."

The Doctor gave him a tiny nod and closed his eyes. Jamie stared at the fire for another minute with drowsy eyes before he started to drift away as well. However, just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard the Doctor murmur one more thing to him.

"_Anam cara, _Jamie."

Then there was nothing more but the steady breathing of slumber. Jamie smiled and clutched the Doctor's shoulder.

"_Anam cara, _Doctor," he whispered.

Then the two of them slipped into a peaceful sleep, their shared dreams taking them to both old and new journeys among the stars above them.


End file.
